Retired Sea Captain

Weep not for him, come home to stare away The long, slow years that reach beyond the sea, To add his curious coins of memory, A Midas from the harbors of his day. Before the hearthfire he remembers now Algiers, a million diamonds in the dark, Proud Istanbul and Athens white as snow, Liverpool loud with seagull and the lark. He nods, and beckons, and Calcutta comes With all the fires of sunrise in its eyes; The Congo answers with a tide of drums, Pale China tells him all her mysteries. Weep not for him. He rides the sea tonight Before a hearth where threads of slow flames climb, His compass trembling toward the north star’s light, Safe in the archipelago of Time.