By Juliette M. van de Mheen (stardustraven)
He never wanted to leave
He had seen dolphins
Heard gulls' mews
Memories of great whales
A chance encounter
With a calf, mother and aunt
Sun, waves and wind
Revelling in her vastness
From New York to Java
Sailing on all "Grandes Dames"
In all their glory
S.S. Rotterdam, S.S. Nieuw Amsterdam
Nevermore the freedom
Of a salty, unpredictable mistress
Whether she hummed or roared
She was his gal
This vibrant and ever alluring
Turquoise prima donna
Sadly, his halcyon days
Would not last
Back on shore
This profound grief
Ate away at him
His bouts of anger
Shut us out
If only
He would have allowed....
We brought him away
Between wood and dunes
He rests beside her.
Juliette M. van de Mheen lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She has worked at the University Library of Amsterdam, where she worked partially for the Rare and Early Printings Project), and she now works at the Municipal Archive. Five other poems were published at Naturewriting.com, The Shofar Literary Review and Troubadour21. Readers can find her blog here.
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