Not a sailor was stirring, not on starboard, nor port.
It had been a busy June for me and Phillip, moving Ubi briskly up the east coast
So we could arrive in Newport for the Fourth of July, having family to host.
We had cast the lines in Florida on June 1st, with little time to spare,
Knowing July 1st our guests would soon be upon us, flying into Newport by air.
The 1,000-mile offshore journey ticked off in passages rough, calm and just right,
But once we reached the Statue of Liberty, we squealed with delight.
A brief stay in Port Wash thrilled us with train rides to NYC,
But we had the worst thing you can have on a boat, a schedule you see?
So, we boogied east down the Long Island Sound, enjoying Port Jeff, then Essex, and New London
Which wowed us with its whaling history, sub museum, and Defender, a sailor’s fun den!
But our incoming crew kept us moving; it was Newport for the Fourth or bust!
Which even made sailing one morning in heinously thick fog, just to get there, a must!
But the hazy horizon lifted and gave us a pristine view as we pulled into port,
And dropped Ubi’s anchor, with plenty of room to spare, near the Adam’s Fort.
The night before their arrival, we were nestled snug aboard Ubi, warm in bed,
As visions of lobster and family, laughter and fireworks filled our heads.
We wiped Ducky dry the next day to not give our guests “dinghy butt,”
The thought of their first time (ever!) coming aboard Ubi fluttered my gut.
Phillip and I sat waiting at The Mooring, our waiter wondering what was the matter,
When the boys swooped raucously in: tropical shirts, flashy shades, lots of bling, tons of clatter.
“Ooh lobster!” they squealed. “All the boats! This view! So nauti! Tie my bib!”
“You should see our Bnb!” they continued. “Morning tea! How’s my shirt? I got my hair did!”
I smiled and sighed as I gave him a huge hug, just breathing him in.
My brother, John, known as “Bro-Lo,” looking fly as ever, smart, funny, a perfect ten.
He and his husband, MyL, had come to spend the Fourth with us, in a port new to them,
Their first-time-in-New England enthusiasm was infectious, filling us all limb to limb.
We all ordered lobster and cracked shells till our fingers hurt and bibs were splattered,
In a bustling harbor city full of people we found our little slice of family was all that mattered.
Strolling Thames Street, the boys got Del’s Lemonade, Kilwin’s fudge, nauti trinkets, matching sweaters!
The next day they ferried over to the Vineyard to check out Edgartown, the carousel, real go-getters!
On the Fourth we ventured over to Bristol for the nation’s longest-running Independence parade
And cheered wildly at the milkman, the mayor, the oldest woman, the marching band brigade!
The boys dressed extra dapper that day, donning impeccable gay apparel of red, blue, and white,
John, ever my brother, supervised my wardrobe knowing, without his help, I would look quite afright.
“Confidence comes with something unique,” John said, swooping a scarf ‘round me, bright pink and red,
And I smiled at him feeling lucky knowing I always carried that clever big-brother-voice in my head.
Phillip and I were blazing a new Fourth tradition it seemed, sharing this parade with family and friends
And posing just as we had the year before on the big Bristol ball with wickedly big grins!
After the parade, the clouds back in Newport grew dark and foreboding, no daylight remained.
Phillip shuttled the boys and their bags to Ducky quick, hoping to beat the rain.
Heavy drops started to drench us as the boys climbed into our wobbly dinghy.
We almost lost John during his roll-aboard handoff and he cried: “What’s wrong with this thingy!”
“Get on John!” Phillip shouted. “On Annie! On MyL! We really mustn’t stall!”
In sheets of rain, Phillip kicked up a wake knowing it was time to dash, dash away all!
Later on Ubi, after hot showers, filling pasta, and gorgeous bottles of red,
The sky filled with fireworks: bright greens, crackling golds, and bold blues popped overhead.
John and I cheersed and made our decades-old, traditional crazy sibling faces,
As Phillip and MyL settled on the Sport-a-Seats, eyes upward in awe, their faces lit gazes.
The four of us raised our glasses under a kaleidoscope of colors so vivid and bright,
As Phillip crowned our festive evening with a “Happy Fourth to us all, and to all a good night!”
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