Sing to thi' Mammy

[vagantes]

The sand is flat and hard round here;
She stands on the headland watching the bay,
Under a wintry sky; behind her the old graveyard;
Seagulls scream as they circle overhead.

The wind is wild tonight and the rain is hard,
The skyline is grey as the boats come in;
The rain and the foam burn white in the wind,
And one boat will not come back.

[Buh4Bee]

Although this is a some what cliched scene, I liked the descriptions. Enjoyed the visuals. The title is bizarre to me.

[Bar22do]

I agree with Buh4Bee and like the atmosphere you created, vagantes. my best to you, Bar

[Delta40]

I like the descriptors too and wondered if the one boat not returning is linked to the graveyard behind her. Good atmosphere Vagantes.

[Buh4Bee]

That sharp eye of yours Delta! Makes me envious.

[vagantes]

The title is some lines from a well-known Geordie song called "When the Boat Comes in".

The idea comes from a statue of a woman with a child on the promenade at Fleetwood in Lancashire. She is gazing out to sea waiting for the fishing boats to return. Obviously going to sea is and was a hazardous business. Whoever she is waiting for may not come back.

The graveyard is real enough. It stands on a headland overlooking the North Sea with kittiwakes and gulls circling overhead - for all the world like the souls of dead sailors.

[Delta40]

When you put the poem into context, it's even more poignant Vagantes.