A Sailor's Gone To Sea
by GSCS(SW) Robert Cavalcante Jr., USN (Ret.)
The time had come to say goodbye
As sadness filled the air.
They couldn't hold their tears inside,
So husbands, wives and children cried,
And each one said a prayer.
The brow was raised, the lines heaved in,
The tugs would pull her free.
The whistle blew for all to hear,
But not one person there would cheer,
For their Sailor's gone to sea.
The engines screamed their tortured songs,
As watches checked the skies.
No harm would come to her tonight,
For this is sure, the ship could fight,
And those who sailed her wise.
As days passed on the crew grew strong,
Their confidence was high.
No enemy could touch her now,
None would think to cross her bow,
And not one dare to try.
Their days grew long and wearisome,
The skipper knew the cure.
There's just one thing to ease the stress,
He knew his crew could use the rest,
There'd be liberty for sure!
The port was in a foreign land,
That some had seen before.
They'd show the young ones all the sights,
And try to keep them out of fights,
Then bring them back aboard.
The crew refreshed, the time had come,
To sail the ship once more.
The lines were heaved and stowed away,
In record time was underway,
And sailed again from shore.
The sea had all her lady's charms,
That caused a man to roam.
Far from his home to foreign lands,
Far from his lovely lady's hands,
Into the mists and foam.
The ship would make her presence known,
All nations now would see.
That she was strong and made for war,
Our enemies would know for sure,
They'd simply leave her be.
The time drew near to end the cruise,
No longer would they roam.
The ship had turned, the crew rejoiced,
And cheered as though a single voice...
The ship was going home!
The day had come, the rails were manned
As each man's heart had yearned.
To see their loved ones on the pier,
And hear them cry and shout and cheer,
"Their Sailors had returned!"
But sadness fills another's heart
For their Sailor's gone to sea.
To take the watch from those now home,
And sail upon the mists and foam,
To keep our country free.
(c) Bob Cavalcante Jr.
by GSCS(SW) Robert Cavalcante Jr., USN (Ret.)
The time had come to say goodbye
As sadness filled the air.
They couldn't hold their tears inside,
So husbands, wives and children cried,
And each one said a prayer.
The brow was raised, the lines heaved in,
The tugs would pull her free.
The whistle blew for all to hear,
But not one person there would cheer,
For their Sailor's gone to sea.
The engines screamed their tortured songs,
As watches checked the skies.
No harm would come to her tonight,
For this is sure, the ship could fight,
And those who sailed her wise.
As days passed on the crew grew strong,
Their confidence was high.
No enemy could touch her now,
None would think to cross her bow,
And not one dare to try.
Their days grew long and wearisome,
The skipper knew the cure.
There's just one thing to ease the stress,
He knew his crew could use the rest,
There'd be liberty for sure!
The port was in a foreign land,
That some had seen before.
They'd show the young ones all the sights,
And try to keep them out of fights,
Then bring them back aboard.
The crew refreshed, the time had come,
To sail the ship once more.
The lines were heaved and stowed away,
In record time was underway,
And sailed again from shore.
The sea had all her lady's charms,
That caused a man to roam.
Far from his home to foreign lands,
Far from his lovely lady's hands,
Into the mists and foam.
The ship would make her presence known,
All nations now would see.
That she was strong and made for war,
Our enemies would know for sure,
They'd simply leave her be.
The time drew near to end the cruise,
No longer would they roam.
The ship had turned, the crew rejoiced,
And cheered as though a single voice...
The ship was going home!
The day had come, the rails were manned
As each man's heart had yearned.
To see their loved ones on the pier,
And hear them cry and shout and cheer,
"Their Sailors had returned!"
But sadness fills another's heart
For their Sailor's gone to sea.
To take the watch from those now home,
And sail upon the mists and foam,
To keep our country free.
(c) Bob Cavalcante Jr.
Now if I may, I'd like to share with you a little bit about that poem. It was the very first poem I had ever written and I was on my ship the USS Yellowstone, AD-41, a Destroyer Tender headed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for the old REFTRA (Refresher Training).
I had climbed in my top rack in the CPO berthing and was naturally thinking of home while writing a letter before going to sleep, when quite literally the words just flowed out of my pen and onto the paper! The whole poem took about 15 minutes to complete and I was amazed at what I had just written. Truly, it was inspired and the words were a gift from God and I was just His instrument.
The poem stayed private a while longer and was first published in the newsletter of my next ship, the destroyer USS Arleigh Burke, DDG-51.
May God bless and protect all Sailors, all our military and all those who wait at home.
I had climbed in my top rack in the CPO berthing and was naturally thinking of home while writing a letter before going to sleep, when quite literally the words just flowed out of my pen and onto the paper! The whole poem took about 15 minutes to complete and I was amazed at what I had just written. Truly, it was inspired and the words were a gift from God and I was just His instrument.
The poem stayed private a while longer and was first published in the newsletter of my next ship, the destroyer USS Arleigh Burke, DDG-51.
May God bless and protect all Sailors, all our military and all those who wait at home.
1 comment:
That was very good for someone who says they don't write poems very often :D
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