The Last Sail

The sun rode high into the sky and winked
And smiled at him from each passing cloud,
He stood upon the shore and also winked
And smiled and laughed out loud.

Grey gulls swooped and dipped into the sea
And brushed the breaking crests with quivering wings,
Then rose and dove again to pick up shiny, silver things.

Soft winds blew and filled his chest with smells of salt and sea,
And sand and sea foam ruse and squashed between his toes
And filled his soul with glee.

A small boat rode the tide
And beckoned him with snap of sail.
In eagerness he stopped aboard
To test his love of quickening gale.

With bow into the wind and mainsail high
He raised his arms and gazed into the sky.
Then did he, once again, smile and laugh and sing awhile

And as the morning sky softened and turn grey
The silent sun sank into the sea
And the sailboat drifted, soft, away