Dilemma

He stands frozen in my memory,
one foot in the drifting boat
and one foot on the dock
with his balance lying in between.
With only a second to decide
his commitment:  to the dock
or the seaward moving boat.
I didn’t notice earlier
just where he had been,
if he was coming onto land
or going out to sea.
I saw only his dilemma
without knowing his desire,
but it was clear to me
the ocean would soon claim him
if he failed to quickly act.