Sailing Song
No-wind days. I lie sprawled on the sun-warmed trampoline, soaking up the summer warmth, as Nenya bobs gently up and down, up and down. Out on the water, the sun is busy painting sparkles of gold on the crests of non-existent waves. I sigh in contentment and close my eyes.
No-wind days are lazy days of sun-bathing. The sails flap back and forth with phantom traces of breeze. My foot, unnoticed, slips off the edge of the boat and plops into the water with a splash. The wonderful cool feeling caresses my skin. My fingers lazily trace patterns on the calm surface, like the little water-bugs flitting around near the shore. Nenya bobs up and down, up and down.
But oh, wild wind days! Screaming along under a jewel-blue sky, balancing in exhilerating speed on the edge of control. I grip sheets with my toes, clench lines in my teeth, and hold the tiller in my hands, all six senses alert for the next antic of this rambunctious wind. He waits ever for my vigilance to falter; for my flying hands to fumble; for my racing mind to hesitate. He will happily tear me off my boat, or flip us belly-up, as he has done many times before. We play this game every day, the wind and I; this game of sheer excitement. But today he shall not catch me faltering, fumbling, nor hesitating. My laughter rings across the water, mingling with the howling of the gale; sea-spray flies all around me as my rainbow wings harness the ancient force, wind. The leeward hull hums with speed as I lean to windward, already high up in the air...
This sailing story never ends. I shall forever sail the seas of my existence, in a world where morning paints a golden sky free of pollution, and nighttime comes with its inky shroud untouched by city lights. But I, the wanderer, shall not rest with the night. When night tells me to fold away my wings and curl up in sleep, I shall instead sit upon my bow and gaze at the sinking golden light, and as the rest of the world settles under night's blanket, Nenya and I shall sail beyond the sunset and into the land of dreams.
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