HOW SALTY IS THE SEA

HOW SALTY IS THE SEA

How salty is the sea?
I tasted one drop,
It danced on my tongue
And refused there to stop.

It tasted of journeys
Of ships sailing through,
Of mornings in silver
And evenings in blue.

It tasted of sailors
Who travelled afar,
With maps in their pockets
And eyes on a star.

It tasted of mermaids
Who laughed in the foam,
And boats that were carrying
Lost travellers home.

Perhaps it holds teardrops
From hundreds of years,
Then turns them to diamonds
And washes their fears.

Perhaps when hearts break
And the tears start to fall,
The rivers collect them
And carry them all.

The sea takes each sorrow
And stirs it around,
Till sadness grows lighter
And hope can be found.

It mixes old heartache
With salt and with sand,
Then sends little seashells
As gifts to the land.

I picked up a seashell
And held it quite near,
A very small ocean
Was singing in my ear.

It sang about islands
With pink coconut trees,
Where birds wear bright bonnets
And dance in the breeze.

It sang of a fisherman
Who caught his own hat,
Then proudly went home
With a boot and a sprat.

It sang of a dolphin
Who swallowed a bell,
Whenever he sneezed
You could hear a loud knell.

It sang of the moon
Dropping into the tide,
Then climbing at midnight
With stars by her side.

I asked the old seashell
Who taught you that tune?
It answered, the ocean
Who learnt from the moon.

How salty is the sea?
As salty as time,
As deep as a memory
As sweet as a rhyme.

Yet salt cannot darken
The heart of the blue,
For every new morning
The sea shines anew.

It kisses the shoreline
Then races away,
Returning with treasures
At dawn every day.

I tasted one teardrop
Then smiled happily,
For even my tears
Held a piece of the sea.