I return. Two if
by sea.
God-force without a compass.
Not for homesickness.
I have no real place.
The rail acts as stylus.
Dirty crackle. Hiss
of anticipation.
I board a north boat with lanterns.
Gulls in my wake.
The edge of the world knows
the songs of my heavy-booted fathers.
Cliffs rise to welcome me.
Oceanic. Colder
than pewter.
Wyeth skies find a home
on the other side of the Atlantic.
I see an unknown soldier in the clouds,
covered with a greatcoat.
He whispers. Mainland.
Welcomes me with a wheelhouse.
Offers cake. A
pillow for my head.
Shows me the next bend in the road.
Shows me the next bend in the road.
tk/August 2014
R.A.D. Stainforth, fresh from a wander in Shetland...
*photo: Yell Sound, Shetland, 2014, by R.A.D. Stainforth
I love the idea of a North boat with lanterns, I board it with you!
ReplyDelete"The edge of the world knows
ReplyDeletethe songs of my heavy-booted fathers"
Such a mood you have created - I loved the two lines above.
oh my Tess- this is so splendidly rich with your perfect words.
ReplyDeleteNice visualisation. Keep it one. My dreams - about warm sea waters.....
ReplyDeleteAh, a soul that calls its travel its home...
ReplyDelete*Waves at the "soldier in the clouds."
Gorgeous & truly Tess
ReplyDeleteI love the mood you have created here with your word choices, "God-force without a compass," "songs of my heavy-booted fathers," and "colder than pewter"---all brushstrokes of a vivid masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteI like the feel (quite vivid) of being brought to sea by someone who not only offers cake but a pillow too!
ReplyDeleteThe soldier in the cloud.. there is a great feeling in that picture -- it feels like parting and moving... great writing.
ReplyDeleteThis is dreamlike .. I see three generations of Wyeth men ... lovely.
ReplyDeleteVery visual and lovely use of words. Wanderlust is a perfect title.
ReplyDeleteGod-force without a compass? Hmm...lost at sea...
ReplyDeleteNever head for the LightHouse .....steer away ...
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this write (although I enjoy all of them.) I loved this one Tess I didn't know RAD was a photographer! He's very talented and I like how he reads your work. I hope you come to visit my poems again I have missed you for 2 weeks now. Happy writing! <3
ReplyDeleteS3 is luscsious. Makes me want to take a boat to Shetland...
ReplyDeleteTess, sincerely, this one pierced my soul! Love and Light, S
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, that is something else. What a delightful read.
ReplyDeleteYou have made a journey sound like such a wonderful adventure Tess. So many lovely images in your travels here. The third stanza is glorious,
ReplyDeleteLove your reference to Wyeth skies. Love poem, Tess.
ReplyDeleteIt was as if the painting was made for your poem Tess :) Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThe spirit of Wanderlust captured beautifully with wonderful and wistful words, Tess.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful read. I am reminded of my first 'real' sailing as a very young child. Memories are still there. Southampton to Singapore, P & O's SS Chusan not long after her maiden voyage. I was born into wanderlust and my mother who travelled and lived in so many countries for her entire life, always said she was a 'gypsy. I read so much into this poem. My father was 'heavy booted' and wore a greatcoat and as a military family, we didn't have a 'real place'. In later years when I was forever on the move I always told people that 'home was where the air fright landed'. Of course in our earlier days of movement, the effects were also on the ship.A ship, never to be called a boat!
ReplyDeleteI especially appreciated the line: colder than pewter. It's such a cool contrast and it works!
ReplyDeleteAs usual, you empty a bucket of references over our heads, like an ice bucket challenge, forcing the mind to leave the mundane for a moment.
ReplyDeleteSea is always a place brimming with stories ... beautifully penned.
ReplyDelete