The Sailor's Wife

She stares at the ocean,
Keeps her eyes pinned to the horizon.
She longs to see the sails again
But soon the sea and sky melt into one.

At sunset she turns around,
Disappointed.
No, not today.
She heads back home.

Through vile streets
And jeering calls,
She rushes for shelter
And locks the door behind her.

Quietly she weeps to herself.

Two weeks earlier she gathered excitedly
With the rest of the town
To witness their return,
Victoriously from far-off lands:
The men drunk on visions of wealth and glory,
The women attempting to remain composed.

But they did not arrive.
Every day she waited.
Every day she was let down.
Every day they did not arrive.

Now she is losing hope.
Surely they must have run aground
Or been overtaken by the cutthroats
Or perhaps the sea had simply claimed
Another vessel as its own.

To be so in love and so alone
To be without hope
Tears her apart.

She runs back to the ocean.
She swims
And swims
swims
swims

swims.

Her limbs ache.
She struggles against the waves.
The night and the wind
Swallow her cries
Until she sinks beneath the surface,
And darkness becomes her everything.


The sun rises on the water,
It sparkles and shines
And from the crow's nest where he stands
He stares at the ocean,
Keeps his eyes pinned to the horizon.
He longs to see his town again
And suddenly cries, "Land, ho!"