Poem: A Year Ago.

[cadhla]

A year ago today, I was nothing to you;
Just a tall ship, passing in the night,
With golden sails set in a different wind.
A year ago today, you were nothing to me;
I had seen the spires of your port town,
Watched your lighthouse beam that swept the sea,
Remarked upon the highness of your walls,
And I'd sailed on.
It amazes me, the change a year can bring.

Now, I set my sails to catch the wind
That blows me home across the seas to you.
I have walked your streets and smiled
At your children, your shopkeepers and wives;
I have learned your language just as well
As any roving soul could hope to do
Within the span of just one year.

Forgive me if I sail away tomorrow;
It is my nature to leave you and return,
Constant as the tide, inconstant as the moon.
Your image hangs within the stateroom
Of my heart,
And all my compass roses
Bloom for you.

(Happy birthday, stakebait. I wish I were closer.)