Cast off the mooring ropes at bow and stern
Head out into the early morning mist
Hoist the big mainsail, free the jib, and turn
feeling the filling canvas make her list
The venerable diesel chugs and splutters
its smoky wraith lingering in our wake
We weave our way between sloops and cutters
cleaving across crests beginning to break

Waves slap the hull and slither down the deck
We’ve left the strident seagulls far behind
The lighthouse beam pales as we pass the wreck
whose rusting iron ribs still groan and grind
We round the point and catch the tidal flow
Astern, a fresh Force 4 lends us its wings
No engine needed now.  I go below
and listen to the sounds that silence brings

An inner peace surfaces in this calm
quietly floating all one’s stress away
Silence with stillness – a heavenly balm
that heals the damage of each crazy day
I go up top and breathe in salty air
Now, far away from the jostling crowds
I adjust my eyes to the sun’s bright glare
and scan the horizon – there are no clouds