breathless on a sea of mirrors
grey the sullen swell
their thoughts becalmed.

timbers creak
and mindless halyards tap,
the breathing cargo shifts and groans.

a gulp of water, gulls
the harbour’s distant sounds
stir their hopeful dreams.

they know the din of armoured movements
tanks grumbling
nights filled with gunfire.

they were misled wilfully
outwitted and betrayed
by the mighty.

out of reach
the troubled stateless sleep
in search of peace to start again.