One of the joys of visiting our Dear Friend Ti, is sharing favourite poems and remembering lines together of poems that we both learned by heart many years ago. It will be her 104th birthday in a couple of weeks and she remembers more of the lines than I do. Here is the garden posy that we took for her today and two of the poems we shared and talked about.
Sea Fever by John Masefield
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 sail’s shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a gray 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.
I love this poem and when living in South Yorkshire, has a lovely poster of the poem and the sea in my office.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Awakening Wonders
April 27, 2023 at 8:08 pm
Lucky you – a poetry filled morning!
mybeautfulthings
April 27, 2023 at 8:51 pm
Indeed, sharing poems, reading them aloud and seeing Ti’s reactions – just a lovely morning. 🙂
Southern Patches
April 27, 2023 at 9:46 am
The Road Less Taken is one of my favorites. Ti sounds like a delight. I would love to meet her. The posy is just beautiful. I’m sure Ti loved it and reading poems with you.
mybeautfulthings
April 27, 2023 at 8:50 pm
She is! We love our visits. 🙂
Vanessa Carpenter
April 26, 2023 at 10:23 pm
My mum always loved Sea Fever. Thanks for sharing it. Xx
mybeautfulthings
April 27, 2023 at 8:52 pm
I love it too, love the rhythms. It’s a fun one to read out loud. 🙂
Helen
April 26, 2023 at 6:20 pm
Gorgeous posy! I love both those poems 😊
mybeautfulthings
April 26, 2023 at 7:24 pm
Me too. There were so many today that I could have chosen from. We had a really lovely poetry filled morning. 🙂