Tuesday 12 August 2008

Back from the Sea

Every day as I make the journey along the cliffs overlooking the river, I think of him. The sailor who captured a part of my heart and would not let go.

I remember my childhood growing up here, a time when I never realised that the sea actually came in azure blue. Close up, the silt of my county's bedrock swirling it tidally into an impenetrable brown sludge, which obscured my feet as I paddled.

Watching the estuary spread out before me. Across the moored cruisers to the little sailing boats criss-crossing through each other and avoiding the path of the tankers in the shipping lanes. From this distance, the block colour of the big stretch of water reminds me of the greyish-blue tint of his eyes and that far-away gaze that had seen horizons greater than I could ever dream of - with not a hint of land in sight.

That definitive line where the sky merges into the sea. With himself and his colleagues aboard what seems a behemoth in dock - now just the merest dot dipping and rising between the swell of each enormous wave in the vast, empty expanse of ocean.

She had called to him persistently during his time ashore. It had tugged at him endlessly, his desire for those great, open, wet spaces and the camaraderie of his fellows. No matter how hard I had tried, I couldn't fight the allure of one of Nature's most powerful creations. She was his real mistress, leasing him to me for a few short moments whilst her hold on his heart remained eternal. Until, eventually, she called him back to the warmth of her bosom.

His greatest love and his destiny.

Now, he is just the man at the helm, the peak of his hat shading his eyes as he stares forward, guiding the vessel through her foamy embrace... and out of my life.

I wonder if he will ever truly come back from the Sea.

11 comments:

Osbasso said...

Quite a story you paint here!

Walker said...

Its her salty scent in the air that draws him into her awaiting arms.

Midnight said...

Perhaps he had a girl in every port, but like many of us only a few stick in the memory.

Gorilla Bananas said...

Ah yes, the heartthrob sailor! The pull of the big wet space is just too strong for these nautical coves to resist.

Angela-la-la said...

Aww, you sexy little romantic, you! xx

Joanna Cake said...

Os - Glad you liked it

Walker - Oh, I like that line!

Middy - I bow to your prior experience :P

Mr Bananas - It's in their blood...

Ange - LOL, I suspect you recognise the inspiration for at least one sentence in there :)

Anonymous said...

The best of Both Worlds is when you, my dear Cake, can join him aboard his vessel. I have enjoyed the sea, but my Love remained on shore.

Nicey said...

I think that he had a port in every girl not a girl in every port ;)

Nicey

Riff Dog said...

Brandy, you're a fine girl. What a good wife you would be. But my life, my love and my lady . . . is the sea.

Riff Dog said...

For those who didn't grow up in the U.S. in the 70's:

Looking Glass - Brandi

Constance said...

Remeber the song 'Brandy' from back in the 70's where she weara braided chain, and what a fine wife she would be, but his love is the sea ?
Reminded me of that...
You'll spend your life playing second fiddle to the ocean. Forget it, sweetie.