THE RIVER, BAR AND BIGHT
 
Nostalgia for the life ashore,
But as a magnet drawn,
The gentle movement of the deck,
Tells me again I’m borne;
For distant shores I’ve never seen,
What better than to sleep and dream,
To lullaby of engine room,
Its song of fate, adventure, doom?
 
Nostalgia for a life ashore,
A place to call my own,
But for me the open seas,
And masts and stays that groan;
Sweet stillness as my shipmates sleep,
And mystery of oceans deep;
As twilight falls breathe salty air,
The sailor’s song is plaintive air.
 
Woe to those who live on land,
But rarely dream of more,
Who’ll never breathe the tang of sea,
Their feet know heaving floor;
But I shall be a jaunty tar,
And take the watch tonight,
Breathe deep my breath I cross the breadth,
Of river, bar and bight.
 
Michael.  Christmas Day, 2020