She fixed her gaze

To a point on the horizon,

Far beyond the rolling hills of heather

And the shoreline where tenacious tides sunk in their teeth,

Longing to see the silhouette of his shadow

Stagger back up home towards her

From the sunlit crease of the briny beach.

Daily, she kept her vigil

Transfixed by the hope glittering just beyond what she could see

Until finally, she found her focus

Shifting

From the remembrance of his form

To the sighing of the breeze,

To the sweet hues of the heather,

And the lazy waves at ease…

And this, I suppose, is how all dreams die;

Slowly

and

Softly

and

Silently.

Not like soldiers set in the theatre of battle;

But simply sailors lost at sea.