The Marine

- The Seasons Of Grief: Chapter III - Poem V -

Waiting on the dock as you sail away,

The tides of longing won’t reach me ‘till May

Kept the light on for a thousand nights,

Did I flinch at the moon and its silvered light?

And the last of the days when you and I met,

We took a photo, I’ll never forget

Dressed in navy, how the rain softly fell,

I’m left with a story I can’t retell

I’m standing on the pier, still calling you the marine,

Wondering, do you think of me as you leave?

The fast times, the soft winds, the crashing sea,

Sorry, I couldn’t be what you needed me to be

The waves come in, no surprises,

Disappointments, closing my eyes,

And it gets colder and colder,

When the tide rolls out

Did you leave her a rose, or take it aboard?

Do you still dream of a friend who gave you more?

I think of eighth grade and your rambunctious fights,

As the pointed hat on my shelf gathers time

Said you wanted to feel the heat,

So, you left for the Mojave, and it brought you peace

In the trenches of orange and broken streets,

I watched you fade, a soldier in retreat

I’m sitting on the pier still calling you the marine,

Wondering, did you sail away to hide your years of teen?

The slow ages, the old plans, the lightless sea,

I’m sorry I let you drift so far from me

The waves come in, no surprises,

Acknowledgements, close your eyes,

And it gets colder and colder,

When the ships go out

You arrived on the coast, your smile was so kind,

But I was a stranger in your mind

You looked for the photo we once took on the fly,

But the man who’s in it has turned off the light

I’m screaming at the dock, still calling you the marine,

Wondering, how could you be so keen?

The dead times, the last waves, the silent sea,

The tides recede, no surprises,

Funerals, you close your eyes at,

And it gets colder and colder,

When the sail falls down

You glance down at the crests of ocean spray,

A photo of a friend who sailed away

The friendship lost, forever unseen,

I still call you, the marine