Model Ship —2023

The model ship sits on its wooden stand

Constructed by the father’s steady hand

On the shelf

Gathering dust

Sailing nowhere

And when the model ship was broken

The father would fix it

He would always start over

He would always build again

The model son sits at his writing desk

Posing questions he could never ask

Looking up

At the ship

Sailing nowhere

And if the model son was broken

The father couldn’t fix him

No, he could never start over

He could never build again

The model father has fallen to the floor

Facing down, wanting more

Reaching out

Looking lost

Letting go

And if the model ship was real

Would we have sailed around the world,

Having real conversations,

A real father and a real son?

-music & lyrics by Robert Maggio