Fun on Gowanus' Former Empty Vessel Boat

We came across this bit of verse called "Naming the Boat" on a blog called Isabel Sparkle, and we've been meaning to run it for days, if not a week. So, it's today or never. The verse is about the former Empty Vessel boat moored on the Gowanus. The boat, as you might remember, has new owners who intend to live on her and remake her a bit. She's got a temporary new home north of the Carroll Street Bridge. In any case, here are a couple of excerpts:

Today we spent three hours
stapling insulation to bare wooden walls.
We took turns holding it down,
aiming the gun, taping the plastic.

Sasha cut wood and laid tile. The
green water of the Gowanus lapped
at the sides, gently,

and she showed me how to make a hearth.

I pissed in a bucket, tossed in a
handful of sawdust. I could have gone
over the side --

nobody owns the water --
but still.

.....

four women, talk radio, cheap beer
and tools hooked up to a line run
through the junkyard. And progress. And then

it was getting dark
and the planks had fallen in
so we had to jump.

Good to know work on our favorite Gowanus boat is going forward.

Related Post:
Gowanus Wedding Bells: Boat's New Owners Have Cool Plans