[Erik Olson]

To See the Sea

We envy him who gets to see the sea,
Sea sees one to a source of awe for free.
But he whom unrelenting sprawled sea fated
To see nil else sees seas as overrated.
Who sees but sea for weeks knows best the worth,
With more exactness weighs, to see the earth.

Lost sea-locked men long to descry the land,
Where they'd land home, for sea they cannot stand.
But those whom mountains, plains, or hills land-lock
Feel bound as ships unmoved without a dock.
Who see but land for months, derive the most,
Reap more than fishermen, to see the coast.

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