Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice! On this stormy winter day-night I'm thinking of my dad's love of storms. We didn't celebrate the solstice together but I'd like to believe he would want to be remembered on a day like this one. So this one's as much for you, Dad, as it is for all the wild things enduring the wind and rain.

Sea Fever John Masefield (one of Dad's favorites)

I must down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the sea 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 seagulls crying.

I must down to the sea 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.