A Sailor's Wish...And Shoes

As a creative writer, I often feel the need to put myself in someone else's shoes.  I’ve worn quite a few pairs of shoes in my time as a writer: vintage heels once, and a few pairs of flippers here and there.  However, my favorite shoes are boots: muddy adventure boots, dusty riding boots, and even snow shoes (if you consider them boots).  This is all metaphorical of course.  I’ve never actually worn any of these shoes (except the flippers), but I find the expression helpful when conveying the emotions of my characters.  I’ve noticed in my writing I often loop back to historical events for inspiration, and because of that I’ve fallen in love with pirate boots.  They seem to hold an infinite number of stories; if they didn't, I would've gotten bored with them by now.

This poem was one of my first “hardcore” poetry projects.  I wrote the first draft of the poem in middle school, but as I got older and my writing style developed this poem grew too.  I added stanzas and revised until I was happy with it; I stopped changing it after about two years.  The narrator of this poem had to lend me his sailor boots for a long time, but I think it paid off in the end.

A Sailor’s Wish

Love, I must admit to you,

My time has come when I must return to sea,

But I have been given a ship,

And it has everything a ship might need.

With great white sails to snap in the wind,

And a crew to bind them fast,

And a mighty large hull to send,

Us to our place and back.

The ocean has been calling since last I left,

And it kills me to stay so far away,

So my soul would benefit from this journey,

And I promise you I’ll come back some day.

And even though the sea is so big,

And I only a grain of sand,

With you in my heart, and my thoughts on the rig,

My hopes will forever stand.

The unknown is saying my name,

Though I can barely hear it,

And I can only hope that those who reign,

Will give us smooth waves.

I’ll still hope for a red night sky,

And shun those in the dawn,

I just wish I didn’t have to say goodbye,

But I promise I’ll trace your name in the stars.

I'll hire a band in every city I stay,

To play your song to the heavens,

So you'll hear it from the birds, if any way,

And sing it when you miss me.

And when the sea turns as a mirror,

Reflecting all it can bear,

The world seeming as endless sky, so clear,

I'll still love you and wait to return.

Because no matter what life hands to me,

Whether sliver platter or open palm,

I'll throw them down into the sea,

And use them as a path back to you.

If fate has me on strings,

And one day decides to tangle them together,

I’ll visit you, if only in dreams,

While chasing time all the way.

So it’s here I sadly say,

That there’s a chance I might not return,

And though I’m doing this for our better days,

Dangers still wish for me to burn.

Whether it’s the unknown itself,

Or what lies just beneath,

Maybe even my people, just looking for wealth,

Whatever the reason, my hope will not change.

So if I might die by another man’s hand,

Or even my own, need be,

I’d rather not be remembered for my time on land,

But my memory be given to the sea.