A STAR TO STEER HER BY
When I was young I read a poem that went right to my heart,
Sent through me a frenzied sea fever doing it’s great part
To awaken the love, mysteries and dangers of the mighty sea
Deeply buried somewhere, it seems, for centuries within me.
“All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,” I read
It sparked in my child’s mind a sight of beauty and dread
Of open seas, flying fish, great storms, the wind in my face,
Fighting the mighty water, sailing a ship full of pure grace.
Then looking for the lighthouse to guide me safely home,
And for a little while, at least, not wanting very far to roam,
Laying on a soft bed hearing the waves crash on the shore,
Listen! They are calling me to the cold cruel sea once more.
I am not sure if I am sad or pleased I read that poem long ago,
All about the tall ship and the call of the sea that stirs me so,
It still calls loud and clear even though I’m older than before,
For the sea still feels a part of me, even to my innermost core.
(Millicent) Ann Margetson December 14, 2002