Sea-Fever

I must go down to the seas again,

to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship

and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song

and the white sail's shaking,

and a grey mist on the sea's face, and

a grey dawn breaking

I must down to the seas again,

for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call

that may not be denied; And all I ask is a windy day

with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the brown spume,

and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again,

to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way

where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn

from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream

when the long trick's over.

- John Masefield

I chose this poem for recitation because it stood out in sharp contrast from the thousands of options made available by Poetry Out Loud. The moment I saw it I wanted to make it my own - I wanted to burn it into my mind and my soul, and keep it always. This decision was new for me, as someone who tends to be drawn towards themes of romance and mysticism - I am a die-hard Yeats and Eliot fan. This poem is both straightforward and painful because it speaks to me on a personal level. Someone very close to me is answering the call of the sea, as it were, and I will not see them for a very long time come summer. In a lot of ways, I feel that the water is truly where they belong. You see, I needed this poem. I needed it to make myself try to understand. To let go. And, in my own way, to cope.