Yearning for the Sea

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.


Yearning for the Sea


It fascinates me to watch
A thing so calm and tranquil:
Dancing rays, bobbing boats, lapping waves.
Yet Neptune’s mood can change
Like the wind;
Laughter replaced by screams,
Galleys wrecked as white horses charge.
Yet I'm drawn by the siren’s call;
Perhaps it is the salt in my veins,
Or more simply,
That I thrive on its dangerous beauty –
Azure glass to frothing cauldron,
Sand castles to cliff falls.
Such power and volatile mystery –
But nowhere else am I more at ease;
Unlimited freedom,
Isolation.

I look around from this deck,
Every direction is the same –
A vast expanse of empty sea,
And it thrills me
To feel so alive,
At the mercy of nature.
Yet, I never lower my guard
For this serenity
Will claim your soul
In an instant,
In the break of a wave.

Seldom a day passes
When I do not cast my gaze
Upon the majesty of Poseidon’s realm,
And it is never lost on me:
The mystery, the sparkling awe,
And eternal peace.

My Atlantic view changes
With each passing hour:
Serenity morphs into violence
With such ease,
Even the mightiest hero trembles
Like a sail in the breeze.
And I am hooked
By this spectacle
Like a fish on the line.

When I journey inland,
I take a shell with me,
And every night I sleep
The waves follow me.
If I cannot smell the salt,
Or taste the spray
Hear the waves
Or see the bay –

Then I am yearning
To return;
For my spirit cannot rest
Among hills and valleys.
No! The seas call unto me, always
And I will answer her sweet call
Again.

48 lines