Child of the Sea: a Poem
Tall Ships
Rocked in the Arms of the Sea
The swoosh of the tides upon the sand,
The roar of the breaking surf upon a stormy day.
The freshening breeze and salty spray
Run deep within my blood.
Seafaring men of old passed down to me
A feeling of unity, of being one with the sea.
Let me stand in the bow of a fast-speeding boat;
Let me feel the wind in my face along with the spray.
Let me feel the chatter and bounce as we roar across the tides.
Let me relish the curl of the receding wake
As we leave our cares behind.
And when we reach our chosen port, and tie up to the dock,
Let me nap in peace beneath the sun
And feel the rocking, lapping tides as they lull me off to sleep.
For I am child of the children of seafaring men
And boats and the water run deep in my blood.
So when I die, pay a golden coin
To the boatman on the Styx;
And have him ferry me for one last ride
Until I rest, rocked in the arms of the sea.
The River Styx
Flickr, David Fulmer, CC
About This Poem
Originally written in February of 2011, this poem has stayed as it was written. It was one of my 'gift' poems from my muse, and arrived on paper via my pen, nearly complete.
It is true that my ancestors hailed from New England, and several of them were seafaring men. Sadly, they were also whalers; a huge no-no these days, and a history of which I am not proud. But, what's done is done, and history is unchangeable, so instead of lamenting their trade, I focus on my love of water.
© 2015 Liz Elias
Comments
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on July 12, 2015:
Hello Sage,
I know what you mean. We still live near the water; about 4 miles from a river instead of the ocean, but good enough for now. I do love the beach and the wave action, but I could no longer stand the weather where we were living. Got tired of freezing all summer, so we moved about an hour inland.
I'm so pleased you liked this poem. It's one of those that just "came to me."
Mackenzie Sage Wright on July 12, 2015:
The end gave me chills. It's funny because my kids and I took a road trip up toward the midwest and we were saying how beautiful it is, but I don't know if I could ever live that far away from the ocean, I've never really lived more than 10 minutes away from a beach.
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on June 16, 2015:
I did not know that, Ann! Thanks for contributing to my education! ;-)
Ann Carr from SW England on June 16, 2015:
Sea Fever is a great one; did you know he wrote that with Sussex in mind (my home county)? There is plenty of lonely sea and sky there! It's lovely.
Ann
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on June 16, 2015:
Hi Ann!
I'm delighted you were able to relate on a personal level to this poem. It is one of my own favorites; perhaps in addition to my own inner feelings about the sea, there was a bit of a spur by one of my own favorites, John Masefield's "Sea Fever."
Thank you very much for your wonderful comment!
Ann Carr from SW England on June 16, 2015:
What a great poem, Lizzy! I love the sea; I was brought up near it, on the south coast of England and there are many seafaring men in my ancestry too. I love being on boats and can identify with letting go of cares and feeling the cleansing breeze and spray on my face and in my hair - wonderful!
Ann
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on June 15, 2015:
Hello there, FlourishAnyway! I'm delighted you enjoyed it so much; thanks so much for the votes!!
Elaina Baker from USA on June 15, 2015:
This was really beautiful, Liz. Voted up and more.
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on June 08, 2015:
Hello, MsDora,
Thank you very much for your kind compliment. I'd most pleased that you so enjoyed this poem.
Dora Weithers from The Caribbean on June 08, 2015:
Sounds like classic poetry. Both the form and the "let me" approach are great. I really like the poem.
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on June 07, 2015:
@ bravewarrior - Indeed! We did not have any boats when I was growing up, (long story--lol), but I always relished the chance to go out on the Bay Tour boats when we'd take visiting family out to see the sights in San Francisco. I loved to stand in the bow for the whole ride.
I'm glad you liked this poem so much! Thank you.
@ drbj - Hahaha! Yes, indeed; the old definition of "a boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by wood, into which you pour money" is quite apt. Hubby and I had to sell our boat several years ago, when the economy started to crash, and his health began to fail. I do miss it; it was the boat I had always wished for as a kid.
I'm delighted you enjoyed this poem; thank you for sharing your experience as well. ;)
drbj and sherry from south Florida on June 07, 2015:
Lovely poetry, Lizzy. Almost want to be a boat owner once more. But then I remember that hubby and I after a few years and more than a few bills, realized that a boat is often a hole down which one throws money.
Shauna L Bowling from Central Florida on June 07, 2015:
I love boating. I find it exhilarating to stand while to boat speeds out to sea. Once the boat slows or anchors, I love to ride the bow and feel the wind in my hair.
Great poem, Lizzy!
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on June 06, 2015:
@ Minnetonka Twin - Ah, thank you so very much! I'm delighted that you so enjoyed this poem. Your memory certainly offers a different twist to the saying, "Oh, go jump in the lake!" ;-) Thanks for all the votes!
@ Sunshine625 - Aww...yeah, me too! We had to sell our boat some years back. I miss it; cannot read this poem aloud without choking up. So glad you liked it. ;)
Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on June 06, 2015:
Your poem makes me want to go on a boat ride...pronto! :)
Linda Rogers from Minnesota on June 06, 2015:
Beautiful words about the meditative qualities of the sea. Your words brought me back to my childhood living on Lake Minnetonka. I use to wake up early and jump in the lake. Loved hearing the sounds of the waves as they washed up to the shore and so many other things. Voted up and hit many buttons.
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on June 06, 2015:
Hello, Kamalesh050;
I'm glad you liked this poem so much! Thanks much for stopping by and letting me know.
Kamalesh Chakraverty from Sahaganj, Dist. Hooghly, West Bengal, India on June 06, 2015:
Liked the poem - It's Beautiful.
Liz Elias (author) from Oakley, CA on June 05, 2015:
@ ahorseback - Thanks so very much, Ed! I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. It's one of the few I've written in more recent years.
@ B.Leekley - I'm so pleased you liked this poem, and that it triggered pleasant memories for you. Thanks very much for your knd words.
Brian Leekley from Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA on June 05, 2015:
I like this poem very much. Memories of boat rides came back to me as I read.
ahorseback on June 05, 2015:
I love this , being a bit biased , I love the sea , the salt , the tides and ships of course ! Nice write .......Ed
