The setting moon leaked silver into the languid sea
The sailor lay below in the murky deep
Far from the glimmering light
He who could fix any boat lay with those no one could heal
His parents Dee and Beep wept with sorrow
As did his wife Tina at the marina edge

But the day will come when white clouds and blue sky
Will kiss the sunlit sea and their dogs Brady and Otis
Will romp in the joyous surf with the sailor’s beloved Farley dog
And they’ll know the sailor and Farley will forever move with the ocean tide
And forever live in their hearts

A sailor can’t leave footprints in the sea
But Gary left his on the home shore of friends and family
All our lives are traced in water
But some are etched in loving memory
I

Why did I stray from familiar path
There was safety in the light
Now darkness has overtook
Predators lurk in the night

Deep into the woods I’ve roamed
Amidst the rustling trees
Attuned to every chirping sound
How sinister the sudden breeze

In foolish disregard I drifted
In pursuit of wanton dreams
Do I hear a siren’s call
Or is it a victim’s screams

Oh I wish I could return
To the sanity of day
Filled with loves and likes
Not this pernicious grey

I must burst through the darkened grove
Free my mind of fear
Re-attach myself to the core of you
Enfold in your courageous sphere

Foolish to seek feeling from the great beyond
Explore as you might this murky pond
It’s only the tadpole next to you who can respond

What right have you
To presume to cry
While you are you
And I am I

In every Autumn
Dies a leaf
Was not our love
Just as brief

Nothing lasts but
Stone and fire
Don't believe the
Pulpit’s choir

You must know that
The void's so vast
And time's so free
There is no past

Stone is common
And life's so rare
Why should we ever
Deign to care

There's no order
Just random chance
There's no border
Round happenstance

And yet you cry
And declare your union
Just let me die
Without communion

Please don’t waste
A tear or sigh
While you are you
And I am I

Near cool running waters,
I contemplate life’s stream.
With two caring daughters,
later years have been a dream.

After months, my wife went under,
cancer stopped her flow.
To the end she was a wonder,
her family in safe tow.

I miss her at the river side,
and in every little eddy.
She navigated with sailor pride,
her course was always steady.

I was supposed to be the captain,
but relied on my first mate.
She sensed my skills were latent,
and so kept our vessel straight.

When I reach the final shore,
and cinch the mooring tether,
She’ll greet me at Neptune’s door,
with eternal sailing weather.

Do you ever wonder where daydreams go
They seem to vanish in the daylight glow
Perhaps to die in the conscious flow
Or, do they strive to somehow grow

Maybe they’re only sleeping on the wind
To reappear in a future nocturnal tale
Caught and twisted in some nightmarish gin
To frighten you beyond the pale.

But on a warm summer day
When all such thoughts are evanescent
With an airiness so light and gay
They’re often filled with lovely sentiment

This is something so serene
You marvel at its magic
You are moved to ecstasy
It’s seldom very tragic

There’s something about a daydream
That’s different from a dream
You can shape it to your scheme
You can alter its varied stream

But often in the dark
You are captive to the plight
Sometimes murky sometimes stark
A dream is always far from light

So you know where daydreams go
They escape into the dusky glow
They morph in subconscious flow
Where they survive and grow

Not saying I’m old but my SSN is in Roman numerals