Donald Wheelock

Casting Off

Casting off requires a line in hand
to toss free from a sturdy dock,
or from a cleat on board.
Take command:
a wish is only talk,
a plea in vain, shouted toward
the open sea while anchored to the land.

Donald Wheelock’s poems have appeared in Think, Able Muse, The Orchards, Third Wednesday, Ekphrasis, Blue Unicorn and many other journals welcoming formal poetry. His first full-length book of poems, It’s Hard Enough to Fly, appeared in 2022 from Kelsay Books. David Robert Books will publish his second book, With Nothing but a Nod, in the spring.