I Sail Alone
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| Unknown artist |
I SAIL ALONE
Perhaps we will meet once more
beneath the waves, among the ruins,
beyond the horizon.
With compass in hand I have set course
knowing that my happiness is out there,
far from here,
certain in the knowledge
that I will not find it
with you by my side.
When once we walked together
boardwalks gave splinters.
Looking toward the sun,
even in the rain,
oceans churned in choppy dispute
while sharks swam
among the broken crockery
of what we were.
Let Davy Jones keep what we had,
locked tight in his cold embrace,
I no longer need it.
As whales sing a dirge,
straining through baleen
and trillions of specks
of splintered trust,
I will master my skiff,
alone.
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This bit of Irish goodbye prompted by, and includes the line, "Looking toward the sun,
even in the rain" from the poem Walkabout by Caren Krutsinger, and shared with DVerse Poets.
I would love to know what you thought about this piece.
Please consider leaving a comment.
Sometimes wandering alone is a relief. I think your poem says that well.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your Irish goodbye, Chris, and the way you wove in the line from ‘Walkabout’ by Caren Krutsinger. These lines have a beautiful quirkiness to them:
ReplyDelete‘oceans churned in choppy dispute
while sharks swam
among the broken crockery
of what we were’
and
‘As whales sing a dirge,
straining through baleen
and trillions of specks
of splintered trust,
I will master my skiff,
alone’.
I like the way the final word is isolated from the rest of the stanza – like a sailor enjoying their solitude.
Chris, I love how you pound the idea home with rich imagery that there has been an emotional parting of the ways. I would love to have this poem be the call and have the other party give a response to it. Wonderful poeming using the wonderful line from "Walkabout" or in your case sailabout :)
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