Inky blackness, and the faintest glow
Of light from around the door,
Reminded me again
Of the people I was serving for
The blackest of night
Devoid of light
But for the faint patch
Around the ship’s hatch
Within the gray, steel hull
Five thousand people
Live, laugh, and, occasionally, cry
When loneliness creeps in as it does by and by
Funny, I think, how it could be
That loneliness can come to me
In the midst of a sea
Of humanity
Yet creep in it does
When we let our guard down
And return to the cares
And thoughts of hometown
The sea was a shield
From landsmen’s cares
And bills, and children
Loves and fears
Away from land and media in hand
We might well have been on Mars
For all the hoping and dreaming we did
That all would be normal back on the grid
Inky blackness dotted with stars
And the shine of God's light years around;
The faint glow of light from the door beckoned
And I returned to the womb of my ship
And the people within, the shipmates
I served with and for.
My post was prompted by the supremely gifted writer, Michelle Cook, at:
https://puttingmyfeetinthedirt.com/category/writing-prompts/
Photo from: https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/12/20/17/47747BAD00000578-0-image-a-53_1513789910198.jpg
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Writers Envy 
The next to last stanza – Inky black stars, etc. etc. – is particularly well done, first-rate, in fact.
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Thank you, Stephen. The night sky at sea during darkened ship was so close I could touch it and, seemingly, the face of God.
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Oh, I love what you did with this, Will! I can picture the scene so clearly in my mind. Your military memories bring me back to the days when I was serving too. There were some very lonely times, but some great friendships formed as well. So many emotions wrapped up in all of this… ❤️
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Thank you, Michelle. I didn’t know you served – awesome!
The prompt flummoxed me at first, but the words flowed as I recalled the night sky at sea and the feeling of isolation even among so many Sailors. I used to sit on a tow tractor on the flight deck and stare at the sky. I miss the camaraderie of my shipmates. I work for the Navy now as a DOD civilian and have many co-workers I was on active duty with. Of, the sea stories we tell! 😄😄
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I always marvel at how the sky and the sea are like parallel universes; each holds such mysterious attributes beyond what we will ever fully comprehend. And speaking of the military, I’ve never found the same wonderful camaraderie since my Army days. But it was a different time then too and nothing is the same anymore. I really miss those simpler days. It must be amazing to be able to work with some of those you served with.
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