A time lapse

A time lapse

I watched as a large fishing boat came into being

Behind our gray prefabricated house with a garden and a view of the road

The boat's ribs were crafted from mulberry logs using a saw and chisel. They were

then lined up on the ground, which had become overgrown with thistles.

A fire is burning in the barrel next to it, and the ribs are twisting one by one in the

heat, standing on their tiptoes like ballerinas.

Near the church of Our Lady of the Snow, on a narrow road

I rode my neighbor's bike in secret

I watched a boat form from above

It grew each day until it reached my father's chest

I rode my neighbor's bike in secret.

There were sounds like scraping and sharp planing blows that flattened the sides.

My father's rough hands and the occasional wiping of sweat from his face

Already the next day, the front deck was flat and fastened with metal clamps

It looked like a baby whale that had wandered there at the bottom of the road

We haven't lived in that prefabricated gray house for a long time

She moved into my memory

The boat got tired of carrying the nets and a gas lantern

She ended her old age tied to a small stone pier

Like a stranded whale

I still see the master in an old photo album.

Recently, I walked down the narrow street beside Our Lady of the Snow Church.

I treaded cautiously as I took my neighbor's bike for a lap or two

The church bell is ringing like it used to

The gray house is still there like in lapse in time