Heart of New England

Chapter 62: FROM THE CANTEEN

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About This Book

A lyric collection that moves through New England’s seasons, landscapes, and local history, blending pastoral description with folklore, legend, and occasional patriotic and religious reflections. Poems evoke shorelines, orchards, pine woods, and village life while honoring Pilgrim ancestry and the fortitude of pioneer women; other pieces imagine fairies, haunted houses, pirate lore, and convent gardens. Varied forms include children’s verses, contemplative nature lyrics, and occasional odes, united by a regionally rooted voice that balances celebration of place with quiet moral and communal meditation.

FROM THE CANTEEN

Sailor, we shall miss you,
Swaggering up and down,
Bringing picaresque romance
To the mouldy town.

On your lips a whistle,
In your heart a dance,
A merry lass upon your arm,
Mischief in your glance.

Childish in your loneliness,
Boyish in your needs,
But a man in strong desire,
A man to do bold deeds.

Fearful tales you told us—
Some of them were true;
Furtive tears were often spilled
In the cups we poured for you.

How we yearned to help you;
Longed to understand
The riddle of your restless look,
The strange lines of your hand.

You brought us pain and vision,
Bright youth and gallant ways.
Sailor, we shall miss you
In the peaceful days!