Ships from far away places;
Water full of oil and old wood;
Huge crates and great barrels;
Yellow dogs, cringing from the seamen;
The long cry of gulls;
Ropes, chains, grease, sails;
The smoke of a trusted pipe;
And the tiny slap of beckoning waves,
Calling men back to the sea.
This piece originally appeared in New Strung Bow, a book of poems written by Sarah Lawrence students that was published in 1932.