Poetry: Old Anchor

Inspired by an old anchor I saw on a dock in Baltimore and the feelings it engendered in me….

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND-SEPTEMBER 27-A large old anchor along the waterfront of the Inner Harbor on September 27 2014 in Baltimore Maryland. The Inner Harbor is a popular tourist destination.

An old anchor rests on a peaceful bay dock
Sixty years he has been aweigh
His iron is rusted from crown to his stock
As he dreams of his shining day

When his metal was young and his arms were strong
And his flukes and palms were grand
He steadied his ship and her souls the day long
As she docked in many a land

He knew many a rode and by cathead was stowed
As his ship traversed ocean and sea
And when mighty gales blowed he held tight to his load
Making sure she would never break free

But with journeys and age and the turn of the page
Every story must come to an end
And this anchor, though sage, earned his pensioner’s wage
And now dreams on this dock, my friend

C. 2016 Victor Fuhrman

Nautical Terms Glossary:

Crown–The curved part of the anchor
Stock–The long shaft of the anchor
Aweigh–Out of the water and stowed
Arms–The two sides of the crown
Flukes–The pointed or curved parts of the crown
Palms–The center of the flukes
Rode–The chain or rope that ties the anchor to the ship
Cathead–The part of the bow where the anchor is stored