The Lighthouse Keeper

Sometimes I see the waves
slide over the stone stairs.
Sometimes I feel the thunder in the floor.
Giants feet.
The Earth's heart beat.
A feeling there of being more
than water flowing to and fro.
A taste of salt and awe.

I light the lamp on stormy days
for ships I cannot see
and distant people see the light
but no-one looks at me.

I shine the beacon over silk,
the liquid cloth of sea,
and ships like moths blink in the glare
but no-one looks at me.

There's a love inside this planets core,
beneath our feet,
and only I can feel it's heart beat.
A greater taste than salt and awe,
or the thunder in the floor
that's sometimes there
on the worn stone stairs
when the wind is arms
and the sailors care.

© Mark Sheeky. Permission is required for reproduction.