Poetry

(After Dylan Thomas)
 
He saw her standing on the pier
watching his boat coming in
a long-legged girl
with her hair twirled
in a French plait
and seaward the brewing gale
was closing in with a black sky
and lightning bolts flashing brighter.
 
The sails billowed in the piercing wind
and he steered clear of some sandbanks
to the harbour mouth
on the surging swell
into the breakwater
and he could almost smell
the coming storm
while he anchored down.
 
She was still on the jetty
when stepped up on it
and looked stunning
as if walking right out of
a magazine
and she smiled at him
as if she had been waiting.
 
He was in love with the sea
and had sworn against any woman
keeping him from it
and nobody would stop him
from sailing when he needed to.
 
“You just made it in time
cutting it very fine,” she said
and her eyes sparkled blue
and her voice was sweet
 
and he wanted to frown
but her smile went to his heart
and he asked what she was doing there
 
and she replied that she loves the sea
and wanted to witness the storm coming in
and that was it and she had him
hook line and sinker.
 
[Reference: “Ballade of the Long-legged bait” by Dylan Thomas.]