The gulls above me, wild and free
my song begins to echo theirs
squawks of tuneless noise
as I try to make some sense
or to release something
Watching the breaking waves
from a distance and then up close
I’ve been nowhere
but up and down the stairs
of this hollow and lonely year
It’s hard to remember the good I do
keeping other ships at safe distance
as I patiently await the promised boat
that will return me to the world
and the smiling faces of my family
I fear I’m losing my peace of mind
I sense the loosening pieces
as my happiness erodes
My song goes round and round
as does the light I tend
Wild and free, used to be
the way I chose to live
Wild and free, an impulsive sea
the way I chose to love
I wait so patiently
on that coming boat
that will return me
to the world I used to love…
[2020]
Thanks for reading.
The Lighthouse 
He’ll get back home to find that he is self isolating for covid!
Good poem Tom.
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Thanks Hobbo! And, yes, there’s no return to the real world in sight at the moment. Which is tough to cope with at times. Got to just keep that light going somehow… 😀
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Nice!!
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Thank you! I was quite pleased with this one and, for some reason, I’ve not really written anything else since. I hope inspiration will make its way back to me…
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It does, I’ve gone a week or so with no ideas, then suddenly, a flood of them!!
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Always the way! I’m looking forward to the next flood… Thanks again. T.
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The boat is on its way Tom, really it is! It is carrying a myriad of ideas along with real people. (although I could do without the people!)
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Thanks Peter, I do hope you’re right. Right now, people are much longed for – but the reality will likely be a shock to the system. Either way, change is afoot and that will bring some excitement.
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Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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“I’ve been nowhere
but up and down the stairs
of this hollow and lonely year”
Once again you’ve done it to me Tom…..these lines made my heart ache. A deep, echoing ache…..you’re so good at that! lol!!
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Aww thanks Alisha. Your comments have made my morning. I have a real soft spot for this poem because I wrote it when I was feeling really low about lockdown and how far away all my happy memories were becoming. The funk only lasted a week but it’s the lowest I’ve felt in years. What I love is that poetry gives us the tools to create something of which we can be proud, even when we’re at our darkest. This is one of those poems for me. Thanks for reading! 🙂
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