IMOGENE'S NOTEBOOK
Caretaker of Ashes
A Poem
My ancestry, woven with seamans' knots,
birthed by voyagers and navigators on the seas,
at the helm of packet, schooner, or clipper;
be they, mariners or captains;
the oceans, at the end of days, called them home.
Whenever by the shore I land,
dreams full of turbulent seas, monstrous waves,
downed rigging, and the scent of foam and sweat.
My skin, soaked in salt and tears
tingles with the bravery and courage in
stories chronicled through ship logs and letters.
Whether the Dorchester or Washington Irving,
ships encircling the globe,
captains and crew fearless, reckless;
enduring shipwrecks, drownings, and unbearable cold,
time and time again, for adventure and commerce.
The ancients' bodies adrift are
joined by the ashes of countless forebears,
in reverential respect for maritime history.
Forever mindful am I of my duty to sentry
their final resting place.
My grandmother, unsinkable in life as she floated,
grandchildren aplenty clinging safely,
proved as difficult to submerge in death;
a story her boys told of a box and a rowboat,
when they laid her ashes to eternal rest.
My father's ashes fell as mist upon a calm harbor
from the deck of a whale-watch vessel,
while seagulls flew overhead,
dolphins frolicking, a whale spouting,
welcoming him into the company of seafarers.
My love, his ashes cast to the southeastern Atlantic,
beloved family stoically gathered to set him adrift,
skies blue with wispy clouds,
beach quiet and serene,
a farewell marked by poetic adieu.
Someday, my ashes will scatter to the sea;
a wizened lady with dreams afloat,
mistress not of a vessel,
nor of modern sailing stock,
but spliced to the flotilla of familial souls,
lolling, listing, evermore.
Yarns of sailors and their records,
left to tend the watery ash graves of generations passed,
finding refuge, comfort, and safe harbor
near their final resting place.
I am the Caretaker of Ashes spread upon the sea;
the romance of seafaring envelops me.
This poem was written in response to Debra G. Harman, MEd. 's prompt "Keeper of the Ashes, a Prompt for the Dead of Winter." Many thanks to Debra for the body of poetic work published in Imogene's Notebook.
My family's maritime history runs deep with the abovementioned ships, plus the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, Bald Eagle, and Telegraph. I stand on any salty shore, acknowledging their stories. My family reads poems during sea burials. My favorite is linked below.
