The Narrow Passage

One hyphen straightens the spine,
Dollar-thin and wavy as a coastline,
Sour-lime chord of a wedding toast.

Magellan's ship a hyphen on the seas,
A lone vessel between word faces,
Chilean affection traversing the line,

Thirty-eight days in winter's August tunnel,
Three-hundred-fifty miles to the Pacific
Where his crew’s sails furl in rocky huffs.

Never 'til the cleat is wrapped do I exhale.
The page is never wide enough.