Failing to Find the Light at Landfall

Buffy Aakaash

I imagine nothing worse
Lost at sea no moon to rise
A raging storm a vile curse
Swells that peak and paralyze

Lost at sea no moon to rise
Years offshore landfall in sight
Swells that peak and paralyze
our search for sound and light

With years offshore landfall in sight
we open hooch and celebrate
still searching sounds and lights
But we wonder if we should partake

the open hooch to celebrate
when closer land becomes mirage
and we begin to vacillate,
toss the bottles stop the slosh

admit our dreams are all awash
No light in sight we might tonight
give voice to a barrage —
expletives for our pain and plight

No light in sight we might tonight
in raging storm and vile curse
go overboard in pain and plight
I imagine nothing worse.

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Buffy Aakaash
Buffy Aakaash finds solace and inspiration in the church of Nature, whether under forest canopy, or immersed in the womb of the ocean. Having lived in queer communes and big cities across the US, he now resides in Vermont with his pug companion, Bodhi. His chapbook Untangling the Knots was published in 2022. A full volume called Breaking was published in October of 2025. He has poems in Main Street Rag, The Brussels Review, and The North, among others.