THE ANCHORAGE OF ORION

When a seaman's days are over,
And sunset ends the day.
He will sign aboard for one last trip,
To the distant Milky Way.

He will travel through the cosmos,
To a land light years away.
To the belt which girds the hunter,
Who bright stars guide the way.

And there between the now and then,
Life's gales subside and calm the sea.
A blissful place this sailor's rest,
Across the ages beckons me.

So when they reach that final port,
In a distant galaxy.
Their hammocks hang in solitude,
For all eternity.

Ian Adrian Millar