i found a trove of stuff in that folder rediscovered last night, much of which i like and had forgotten. This one was written at sea while i was Anti-Submarine Officer on the USS Hawkins (DD-873) as we began the rigors of refresher training out of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo, Cuba, long before it became a political football back home. The sea claimed me in 1963, and it obviously still had its hold on me at this point in my life.
Sea Night
one must believe in god
at sea
on a night like this;
some omnipresent power
looms everywhere
demanding its presence be felt
amongst the dark waters with
infinite heavenly bodies aglow;
loneliness is here too,
loneliness even if one is surrounded
by other souls below decks;
sadness can be a beautiful feeling
on a night at sea like this
if it is not endured too long;
perhaps endurance is the key
allowing sadness and this feeling of that presence
to mingle
on these always enduring waters
on a night at sea like this.
you touched so many memories of watches at sea even of GTMO the admiral there was the guy who took McA out of correigadore to Australia. And He could read light and used to jump all over some signalman . I remember going to a church of Christ group there. But even when I had no relation to God even then He was saying things for me to hear in the sea.
I remember once we were doing S&R off the Va capes for some idiots that had reworked an old boat and now were lost an the Seas were running waves about forty feed
when were you in and where were you. I almost bilged out of OCS in navigation and so on the MAZAMA I was the navigator. Did you do a Med cruise ? Thanks for sending me this you have made my day and I will read it again and again
In His peace
john