Saturday 4 October 2014

He left her a gift



He was gone again
Their ships passing in the night
He’d left her a gift

He usually did
A cute lass or handsome lad
To greet him next time

So away he sailed
Letting go the sheet anchor
Hauling the main sails

Contact was broken
Yet their connection was strong
“He’s here in their eyes”

She imagined him
Every time she named them
Yet fearing the worst

She sang them a song
“Where is my daddy at sea?
Please come home to me”

She never thought of
The many goblets of grog
Or girls in the ports

After many months
To the port office she went
Looking at the signs

But she could not read
So entered and ask for news
“It’s vital” she said

Wife of a seaman
She had the sense to know
From the man’s speech

They were now alone
A sad poem she must sing
Home he would not come

Image from www.hdesktops.com

13 comments:

  1. Aww - you've brought the aching and the simplicity of this longing and tragedy to life. Bravo !

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderfully story-poem...flowed effortlessly and could picture every misty backstreet she darted in worry to and from

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, the picture immediately captured my attention. Your poem reminded me of the "Perfect Storm" with folks waiting for loved ones to return who never did. Have a lovely Sunday.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I notice that the seaman's wife is well versed in not asking questions. I'm sure the answers would have been disturbing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A poignant piece which relates very much to today

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well accomplished writing. Your characters come alive and breathe with feelings that are shared by many. My former husband was a sailor.

    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely and sad. You leave your readers to connect the dots, while providing enough context to do so. Strong work!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This poem reminds me of my many visits to New England relatives. One can't spend all one's time with family, so I visit docks, whaling museums and sea captains's homes now become museums. I come away reminded of what a difficult life it was for those who depended on the sea, and for all those who loved them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such a sad poem and yet it was fate for a lot sailor wife.Brings to mind teh book called Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, you have managed to capture a whole life story...packed full of longing and hope and resilience and loss....in this short piece. Brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A tale in a poem. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Such a heartbreaking tale. Beautifully worded.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh this really got to me. Heart-wrenching, lovely.

    ReplyDelete