I strolled alone along the beach
As restless as the sea,
When from a sea cove there appeared
A form approaching me.
It looked to be a handsome man
From out of nowhere come,
As mysterious as the elusive seals
That whiles bask in the sun.
He bade me tell him where he was.
"At Spindrift Beach," I said.
He smiled and shook his silk-soft hair,
Flinging seaweed from his head.
"Then I have found the very place
I never sought to find.
Fate will find a way, it seems,
And the gods have been most kind."
"They oft are kind, indeed," I said,
"But the weather it is not.
Follow me and please partake
In some supper that is hot."
I recognized the voice as mine,
But the idea came from elsewhere.
Next to nothing I knew of him,
Yet I could not help but care.
The gloaming gathered and on I led
Down the sylvan path we walked.
Our trek would be at least a mile,
So to pass the time, we talked.
He told me many wondrous tales!
Unfathomable as they were,
I somehow knew them to be true --
They made my still heart stir.
We walked abreast along the trail,
Yet at the selfsame time
I sensed that he could see through me
And I could read his mind.
Upon arriving at my abode
I sat before the fire
And dished him up a hearty meal,
Which he ate and did admire.
We talked at length - all night, in fact,
All through the wee, dark hours
Until faint sunlight filtered through
My window's plants and flowers.
"I must return to my home," said he,
With grief, not joy, to his speech.
"I would that I could stay with ye,
But that is beyond my reach."
First, though, by your leave, dear lass,
I need a light, brief rest.
The trip ahead of me this day
May prove a trying test."
Before I even reassured him
That of course he could stay,
He curled up upon the cushions
And sleep took him away.
Although I understood but half
Of all he had explained,
I knew I had to reach the beach
Before him, or know great pain.
I slowly crept out of the room,
Closing the door with care.
As soon as I was outside, though,
I ran like a frightened hare.
I ran until my feet touched sand
On which the waves rolled in.
Before I ventured even a furlong,
I stumbled upon a skin.
It was a preternatural sight
And although I never spied
Anything quite like it before,
'Twas something I recognized.
His own tales blended with the ones
I'd heard, or read, when young,
And then I knew the skin was his
And that it should be flung
Into the sea, or burned, or hid,
Or any act to keep
Him from forsaking my dry land
And returning to the deep.
I found a dark cave in a cliff
Whose entrance was so small,
I barely could hoist myself inside --
I knew he couldn't at all!
Walking to the very back
Of the cavern lined with sand,
The mossy ceiling was so low
I could not even stand.
'Twas here, behind a time-worn rock
Along the crannied wall,
I dug a deep and roomy hole
Into which the skin did fall.
Hastily I kicked the sand
Back in to bury well
This evidence of another life --
No one could know or tell.
With great posthaste I left the cave,
Then, leaving the beach behind,
I ran the whole way home again
With the deed upon my mind.
Awakened with a start, the lad
Did spy me in the door
As I was creeping through the room,
My tiptoes upon the floor.
"What ails ye, lass? Your face is flushed
And your eyes bespeak some thoughts
To which ye alone are privy," said he.
I nodded, but told him naught.
He left my home at eventide
With a kiss, a bow and a wave.
I watched him walking through the woods,
And told myself to be brave.
All I could do was wait, for now --
And hope for his return.
Or would he wander off elsewhere
In a futile quest to learn
The whereabouts of his old skin?
Mayhap, but likely no.
Because I saw he was reluctant
At the thought of having to go.
I pensively walked and paced the room
As the minutes crept by like snails,
Until the wind blew through the trees
With its uncanny wail.
Or was the sound from another realm
Lamenting one of its own
Who could no longer join them in
The cold blue of their home?
I could not sit and ruminate
The evening's hours away!
I donned my cloak again and ran
Until I saw the spray
Of breakers crashing on the cliffs
That hid the sandy shore.
I also saw a figure running
In just one moment more.
Was it the lad, his clothing soaked,
And wet hair in his eyes?
Or was it but a coastal dweller
The waves caught by surprise?
He was too far for me to know
The answer I did seek.
But what about the tales, I thought,
Which tell of how to keep
The selkies from returning to
The home that they once knew,
Instead to bide upon the land
And not deep in the blue?
He will return again, I thought,
As a tear welled in my eye.
I drew my cloak about me as
I gazed up at the sky.
My brimming eyes held silver tears
But my mouth betrayed a smile.
I will wait for you, my lad,
If it were ten thousand miles!
Though you may leave and travel far,
You must remain 'above.'
Mayhap one day we'll meet again
And learn to trust and love.
Until then, please accept my thanks
For showing me how to feel
Worthy of your world's secrets.
I've discovered much from a seal.
sjk