sunday morning birthday poem

sea fever

i must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

and all i ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

and the wheel's kick and the wind's song

and the white sails shaking,

and a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

i must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

and all i ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

and the flung spray and the blown spume,

and the sea-gulls crying.

i must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

to the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;

and all i ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

and quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

john masefield, salt-water ballads, 1902

birthday cappuccino with oatmilk . . (we'll watch the unitarian universalist general assemply service this morning at 10) . . (and the royal ballet has woolfworks up on their youtube channel . . i watched it friday and posted about it here.)