Day Sail

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐥​

The tide made docking​
difficult—
I hold glowing coals​
from gripping ropes,​
my hair is a nest of straws​
harvested​
from ocean fields.​

I stand on the bow and watch​
you at the helm​
against a Monét sky,​
the coins of day spent,​
your face burnt and content​

from cranking chrome winches​
and pulling halyards amidst​
twenty knot winds:​
the sloop keeled at wild angles
clowning with whitecaps,​
and the scents of salt and seaweed​
filled our nostrils
and we soared with the seagulls.​

— D. G. Vachal​

from Vachal, D. G. (2026), The Turning of Light, (Amazon)

* Image: Alone by Giampaolo Macorig

Tobacco Leaves

Tobacco Leaves​

the afternoon light filters through lattice ​
windows with capiz shell inserts,​
casts a warm pearlescent glow ​
upon the wooden floor—

dried tobacco leaves
on the dining table
fill the air with scents of hay,​
a leathery spice,​
a pungent chocolate—

my grandfather’s hands​
shape a leaf ​
between his knotted fingers,​
press against the Molave wood ​
as the pendulum clock chimes​
at the half hour

the soft patter of abaca slippers,​
the rush of a silken skirt, ​
my grandmother’s footsteps ​
draw near—​

the sound of bare feet ​
creaking the old wooden floor ​
follows,​
calloused brown hands carry​
steaming coconut rice cakes​
on banana leaves—​

merienda.​


—D. G. Vachal​ ©2026

We Almost Came Back

We Almost Came Back​

we almost came back ​
to the place where we parted​
perhaps to say​
we never meant​
to say goodbye—​

on an island ferry
I saw your face​
arise from a sea​
of nameless faces​
and you saw mine​

I sat on the brown cot,​
notebook on my lap ​
the ferry’s horn ​
blasted through the cabin ​
as we started to move ​

the sun sat low on the horizon​
pink and orange light​
shimmered​
across the wooden deck ​
as I wrote—​

I heard footsteps from afar​
you walked towards me​
wearing the green shirt,​
the blue jeans I knew​
my legs,​
they could not move​

you stopped midway,​
twenty steps from where I was,​
leaned across the railing​
and just stood there​

our eyes met​
then you looked away,​
your hands gripped hard,​
jaws tightened,
Spanish eyes peered​
into the distance,​
where the sea turned​
darker,​
deeper​

I waited for you ​
to come closer​
perhaps​
you waited for me​

I sat where I was—​
a nearby radio played​
a song we knew​
when the music ended​
you walked away.​

the ferry reached the dark island​
faint lights from other vessels​
flickered upon the pier​
my hands felt numb​
as I grasped the gangplank ropes—​

I turned my face​
towards the gathering​
monsoon wind​

—D. G. Vachal ©2026​

Image by Harrydona @pixabay