I once knew a man who drew me.
Impressive like a monument
His lighthouse lit the horizon
And I paddled his way, shipping water.

I liked his cant
The slant of marbled arch
Burnished bronze
Banners in the breeze

And I threw out an anchor
But found no hold.
Rather, the bones of others wrecked on these rocks
Sirens silent, cannons cold.

And the monument was unmoved
Like an unblitzed cathedral in a ruined city
This man could rise above and
Point heavenward, uncomprehending.

Fool that I am, and blind from logs in my own eyes
I know that men are clay
From the feet upwards.
And the closer we come, the more we see the cracks.

But what then is the measure of a man?
I hope one day to stand before my God
Having loved indecently, unchaste
Always poured out love in haste
And death to dignity.

So I claw across sea green rocks and crawl towards
The monument.
Insecure, teetering on foundations brittled by salt brine
And I wonder how to save it.

How not to replace it.