The Blue Water Sea
by Steven Craig
The man stood upon the beach facing to seaward
the constant tumult of the incoming waves
accompanied the quiet roar of that wind
beating against his ears.
The warmth of the sun upon his back
and on his legs
reminded him
of the more distant shores
of now more distant times
long forgotten by most everyone
but him.
The wind bore voices to him
from time to time
voices that he remembered well
voices that were warm and endearing
voices of danger and adventure
voices that he had encountered for all of his life.
Voices of the mountains and the shore
of the white sands and the blue water seas.
Voices that he could not answer, now
or ever again.
He turned from the sea to face the sun
the stray shadow of a soaring gull the only shade.
The sand and shell about his feet
made whole the memories of his days
in the sun of his youth
with a war to be fought
with a love to cherish
with a joy to be shared.
The shore held him a moment more
a shore that was forever
but for him a last landfall
on his journey to the sea.
He watched the waves with intensity
his shadow pointing the way to the sea
to that sea
to the blue water sea.
There was a love there in the blue water sea
and its song held him there
in its trance
a shell in its hand.
He lingered
as the foam
and the spray filled the air with mist
he paused as the wind
caringly pushed him
gently pushed him
to that fleeting
coursing line that was the shore.
For a moment
for that moment alone
in all his life
he had lived
and breathed
and dreamed
and fought.
He smiled
and took one long
deep
trembling breath
and turned his back
upon the blue water sea
and not as a man
did he ever return to that place again.
06/23/2006
