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Port Dog

A Day of the Seafarer Tribute to Those Who Wait with Unwavering Hearts

By Michelle Liew Tsui-LinPublished 3 months ago β€’ Updated 3 months ago β€’ 1 min read

We mark the Day of the Seafarer, established by the International Maritime Organisation. It honours the men and women who keep international trade moving.

We also honour the ones who wait for them. Especially the scraggly-coated ones who show up day after day.

Every faithful heart keeps watch for their return.

πŸ•βš“πŸŒŠπŸŒ§οΈβ³πŸš’πŸ€

Port dog

It waits. Waits. Waits.

Sprayed by endless sea salt.

The pier holding steadfast in hope.

It waits.

πŸ•βš“πŸŒŠπŸŒ§οΈβ³πŸš’πŸ€

It waits.Β 

Rain soaks Its scraggly fur.

The sea, vast and empty.

The ships' anchors, worn and rusted.

It stays.

πŸ•βš“πŸŒŠπŸŒ§οΈβ³πŸš’πŸ€

The horn

Breaks the silence.

A ship appears, too small.

Β Tail waggingΒ , it rushes to greet-

Not docked.

πŸ•βš“πŸŒŠπŸŒ§οΈβ³πŸš’πŸ€

He comes.

His hands, outstretched.

He kneels with tears of joy.

He walks into the ship once more.

It waits.

πŸ•βš“πŸŒŠπŸŒ§οΈβ³πŸš’πŸ€

Original story by Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin. AI tags are coincidental.

For Mikeydred's June challenge

Mirrors of the MindΒ by Michelle Liew is a collection of psychological and supernatural short stories that explore the quiet unease beneath ordinary moments. These are not tales of spectacle, but of subtle fracture β€” where memory distorts, silence speaks, and the self is not always singular. In these stories, what is unseen often carries the greatest weight, and what lingers is not what is shown, but what is felt.

Β 

inspirationalCinquain

About the Creator

Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin

Hi, i am an English Language teacher cum freelance writer with a taste for pets, prose and poetry. When I'm not writing my heart out, I'm playing with my three dogs, Zorra, Cloudy and Snowball.

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    Written by Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin