The Sea

The sea rumbles its age-old stories, Of tempest and calm, of ship and shore, Each wave a verse upon the sands, Worn smooth by the kiss of time alone, As gulls dive, choreographers of the sky.

And in the salt air, I search for echoes, Of those who’ve come before me, The fishermen, the lovers, the dreamers, All gazing at the horizon’s light, Embracing the infinite possibilities of blue.

• George Mackay Brown