My Father left the family
Sailing away to America
On a rusting freighter.

I can picture him
Sitting on the deck
In a spindly wooden chair
Reading a thick French novel;
Proust perhaps.

And I can imagine him
Tossing the book overboard
In frustration
Putting diamonds briefly
In the sea.

RON KOLM is a contributing editor of Sensitive Skin magazine. He is the author of Divine Comedy, Suburban Ambush and A Change in the Weather, all books of poetry. He's had work in Great Weather for Media, Maintenant, Live Mag!, Local Knowledge and the Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. Ron’s papers were purchased by the New York University library.