Michael Mullins Poet Free verse

Water Moon (DHR)

Light is the shadow of God: Plato 

I grip at the railing 
for the ferry to sail on 
as night gently sinks 
into the deep again. 
And I to the daily grind.

I lean out over the quay
that the harbour reflects
in breath-wash of mist 
of pale, unfinished light.
The city stretches out.

Above the marble basilica 
the copper cupola curves
a silhouette sharp enough 
to carve the harvest moon.
A billowing crescent.

See it strikes off the dome
The blinks of lighted eyes  
water-moon awakes the dawn
with the first shadows of God. 
Just before departure.

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Alison A Smith October 5, 2026 at 4:03 AM A striking, contemplative free-verse poem that moves beautifully from the ferry’s ordinary “daily grind” into a luminous harbour vision. The recurring water, mist, moon, dome, and awakening light create a wonderfully fluid visual field, while the Plato epigraph gives the final “shadows of God” a resonant philosophical depth. The short, measured stanzas mirror the passenger’s pauses of attention before departure, making the urban scene feel both intimate and sacred.