My wife Rachel was going through her personal papers the other day. She handed me this poem I wrote to her back in the 90s.
A TRUE STORY
There once was a young sailor
Which at one time early in his career
Lived ashore in a trailer,
A trailer said he, it's not for me
For it only sits in one spot, does not move up and down
And around a lot
From this he decided he must seek out his adventures on the sea
His fortunes carried him here, there and bits of somewhere
But then one day he came along side a vessel so well fitted out,
Newly built and ready for adventure
This vessel he could see, would be the one to seek his fortune and fame with, he
Now since that very day
That sailor and this Vessel, have cast about a lot
Both north, south, east and west
They've been up
They've been down
They surly have sailed around
Squalls, calms, short storms, additional crew
This vessel has not sprung her seams, nor hogged her back
She's as fair as the day she was first sighted
In this short tale, no matter how far apart, or long in time
The one thing that is certain
That the treasure this sailor found
In that one vessel of not long ago
Will always be stored, securely in this sailors heart
Bestowing advice to me in Martinique last year.
In Cape Town with a new friend this year
Watch out, she can handle the squalls of last summer
Looking and being fit at 55
Having fun working on Hogfish last May.
At the Whale Boner Bar in Bequia in 2015. Hogfish is at anchor just down the shoreline over a shoal patch to stay away from the crowd.
Having fun in Sweden in 2014
Striking the pose in front of my sisters old place in Helsingborg. She owned the upstairs apt. Flat.
Hogfish the fish in front of Hogfish the boat. Exumas in 1993
Rachel Platt
A vessel that's been easy to maintain though at times she likes to dance about
A craft that has carried to term two very precious cargos
A solid ship that has weathered many a squall to get to a new beach
A beauty to me that I am very lucky to have traveled in company with
As a Neil Young song says, "As long as we can sail away"
You are a fortunate man.
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