A MEMORY

I've given all to the rolling sea,
A toiler true as one might be.
I've sailed the lanes of Poseidon's realm,
And stood long watches at the helm.

I've sailed out there in fair and storm,
For days on end grim and forlorn.
Lightning bolts light up the sky,
The gale abates and zephyrs sigh.

I've been to sea a time or two,
So many places that I knew.
The voyage over and back at home,
The ocean beckons me to roam.

I once signed on a dreary ship,
To the whaling grounds we made a trip.
Another trip a cranky tramp,
An open bridge and always damp.

Long ago and far away,
I learned my trade, the seaman's way.
An old man now cannot forget,
My time at sea without regret.

Ian Adrian Millar