Port of Departure
Port of Departure
A sailor finds his way through tidewaters and seasons by keeping an eye on the natural world around him. If he stays undrowned long enough, he comes to see the natural world reflected within his own soul. I have been following the shifting wind around the Chesapeake Bay, and other navigable waterways, long enough to find a connection with the wonderful wetlands I sail through.
The changes that come with each season provide flavor and rythym to life. Those seasons seem shorter with each passing year and the wind is a shiftier devil than it ever was. But the salt that flows in my blood is the salt that flowed in the veins of my father, my grandfather, and who knows what distant ancestors in long forgotten anchorages.
The natural world within ourselves is as fragile and as potentially resilient, given adequate care, as the external environment we often campaign so vigorously to protect. We are changeable creatures riding the troughs and crests of circumstance and emotion. Each of us must look inwardly to chart his outward bound course.
Wind shifts and short seasons
come on so quick,
they leave without reasons,
to be seen or felt
in the heartbones
and the flesh, known
waywardly in strong currents,
flooded and ebbed,
on songs of tears
with chill of fears
shivering in firelight,
waiting for warmth,
praying to be consumed.
To read more, Catch a fair Spring tide
© Copyright Notice
Except where specifically noted, all items contained within these pages are Copyright ©, 1997, by Chris Kleinfelter. Permission to reproduce this material in any manner must first be obtained in writing from the author.
Your comments are welcome, e-mail to: chrisk@nbn.net