Bulwark

Steel hull bulwark between

Prostrate good intentions

And unremitting terrors

If your loyalties lie

Delude and dishearten

The silent duties of others

Still gift you this boundless arena

This expectant ball of putty

For you to thrust your thankless fingers in

When you sleep

Time zones away

The able-bodied on watch

Floating fence posts

Sugar glass spun through connecting straits

Swiss cheese paper walls to be breached

By winds with less mercy

When finding the soft gaps

The morning air that hits you

Has a story to tell

To ears equal deaf or attentive

✽ ✽ ✽

Jake Onyett is a U.S. Navy veteran who was born in Canada, raised in the United States, and lives in Italy. He is a graduate of Niagara University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Bologna. His poetry appears/will appear in Chiron Review, Ink in Thirds, MacQueen’s Quinterly, Two Thirds North, and elsewhere.