The Keeper

A lighthouse with sandcastles below,
Rolling waves crash her feet,
Crabs and seals keep her company,
Oh, the tales if they could speak.

The keeper, a man steadfast,
An old mariner from the sea,
With salty beard and weathered hat,
The lighthouse his ship to keep.

Circling above the flag on her crown,
Seagulls squawk and play,
They swoop and swerve in the air,
To stare through the window shade.

As ships sail by looking for home,
Her eye flashes out to sea,
Like a golden coin in sunlight,
A beacon of life is she.

One night the eye did close,
In a momentary blink,
The crash still haunts the keeper,
A nightmare that oft repeats.

The keeper was found to blame,
And no one saw him again,
Some say he lives in the wind,
With his breath he escorts them in.

February 21, 2021