The Old Salt and the Sea

The sea plays tricks you see The old salt said looking straight at me For the sun and waves look different And sometimes they appear heaven sent He was leaning on the pier that day Sucking back his pipe in the usual way We were sailing in the roaring forties winds And thinking that we would have the luck again But on the third day the wind left us then Becalmed we were for two weeks on end He stopped the story at that point Looking me in eye for the next point he did anoint I was in the crow’s nest A-top the main mast When I saw it then on the horizon A angel in dazzling white waving me on I couldn’t believe my eyes But it was plain to see without asking why Ahoy Captain! I loudly said Pointing out the being in my dread The raised his glass and he also saw The dazzling white angel waving even more I saw him put his glass down And he looked at me without a sound But we had been be-calmed so long So he ordered out the long boats towing us then Rowing toward the dazzling angel there The crew put their back into it with all strength and care As we rowed on to the dazzling white We felt the wind start for us just right And as it filled our sails tight The dazzling angel was gone in a blaze of white So we made it to Sydney town And many a voyage I have sailed the world around But I didn’t see the dazzling angel again Until last night in my room beckoning I could not sleep that night Thinking of the sailor’s tale of dazzling light And I didn’t see the Old Salt again He died that night a mystery until the end. © Paul Warren Poetry