Wednesday, March 7, 2018

keeping a log

  Writing it has been said is a journey of discovery. I've been sailing along for a while now. Occasionally I do change my tact, although I really have no idea of my destination. Makes me wonder about certain things. Do we all have a destination ? Or do some of us just sail around aimlessly, going from port to port ? Have I reached my final anchorage ? And just why am I writing in nautical terms this morning ? Have I tapped into the ancient mariner in me ?
 I think it may be in response to a post I saw yesterday. A Facebook friend posts beautiful pictures of the sea almost every day. I was inspired to post the opening stanza's from one of my favorite poems, Sea Fever by John Masefield. " I must go down to the seas again,  to the lonely seas and the sky, and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. " Those opening lines always touch me. I believe I'm envious of the poet's love for the sea. Like a Mistress he is being drawn to her, even though her beauty masks the danger. I have many seafarers in my past, whalers and baymen. My ancestors worked the waters and sailed the high seas. I too, sailed the high seas, although in far more comfort and security then any of them ever did. Still, a bit of seawater flows in my veins. I love the sound of the pounding surf as well as the gentle lapping of the waves at the edge of the bay. The sand beneath your feet and a breeze carrying that salt in the air, there just isn't much to compare. Something tells me the loneliness of the mountains must have a similar effect upon men, perhaps I will travel there one day and find out for myself. And what of the rolling plains in the Midwest ? Do they move men in such ways ?
 I've been writing and discovering . Mostly I have discovered stuff about myself. It isn't so much a learning experience as finding what was misplaced. I do believe the core of who we are is formed in our youth. That is the reason we become unsettled in our advancing years. We have a tendency to misplace things when grabbing for the new. There are times when we what we set aside is an integral part of who we are really are. We remember the actions taken,  but forget the motivation. It is our motivations that we should examine closely. There is comfort in knowing why. It could be that is why I have taken to writing, it is an attempt to explain, to know why. It is an exciting journey of adventure and grand tales ? As was said by the folks I grew up around, " not hardly Bub. "  I have no great tales of excitement. The journey has mostly been uneventful. I'm taking that as a blessing. I have been fortunate indeed. I have discovered something though, I like Poetry that Rhymes. I'm not so much inspired by other forms. I haven't listened much but isn't that the format for " rapping " too ? What little bit I have heard seems to incorporate a lot of " words " that are coarse, foul, or otherwise inappropriate. As I mentioned yesterday, an aggressive form of speech. Then we wonder why violence is on the rise ? Are they related ? I don't know about any of that.
 Yes, my writing is a way of expressing my discoveries. In a way I'm sailing around and the destination is to find myself. Strangely I don't feel lost. In fact I feel quite comfortable on this journey. I have trimmed the sails a bit, I'm not rushing ahead as I used to do. I'm keeping a sharper weather eye out these days, as I don't weather the storms as easily. Presently I am moored in Greensboro, Maryland. It could be I'm just filling out the log book, catching up so to speak. I rather like that thought. I'm no Captain, but I can keep a log nonetheless. A log of my journey sounds nice. 

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