(For Jack Teal, a sailor buddy)

Independence,
it’s lack thereof,
wherein:
                             Jack, hope lost,
his bare feet navigated
on uneven synapse.
After
                              earfuls of drip drip
& time tipped,
his new sheet
ripped by an old corn.
                               Unbalanced slips
of solecisms
known solely to me,
his socks draped
                                in the element Urine