Dear Editor
“Well, there she is…”
Frank looks with pride on his new purchase.
“Needs a bit of work,” I say.
“Yeah, I reckon.”
We walk across to where she sits on the sand,
Sit on the sidedeck and swing our legs inboard.
We survey the cockpit, “Bit of rainwater here,” I say.
We bail out for awhile.
The tide comes in fast, the old boat stirs herself,
Gives a graunch and she’s afloat.
“Wow! That feels good,” I say.
We give her a few minutes to settle while we sort the sails out.
We hoist the mainsail, it looks a bit grey and patchy,
I look at Frank, he shrugs his shoulders…
We pull up to the anchor, there is no wind here so we drift on the tide,
Lying face down on the deck, I doze blissfully, warm sun on my back,
I squint ahead, there’s a dark patch on the water,
Then the air moves gently, the sail flaps a couple of times,
The spars creak, the boat heels slightly and the water suddenly chuckles beneath her bow,
What a magic sound! Within minutes the old boat is dancing,
Our eyes shine with excitement, the Sea Sprites sing, THIS IS LIVING!
Be it ever so.
Terry C
