For Better, For Verse,…
……asked Shyam George
and Rani replied, “Aye, Aye, Captain!”
When you are sailing on the deep seas, far away from your loved ones, especially your future life partner, it does not get better, I penned my feelings in verse. This poem MIDNIGHT BLUES was written on the ship while still courting Rani.
MIDNIGHT BLUES
When two souls meet
And in unison beat,
And flames of love glow passionately,
And grow and grow until eternity,
Is there an end for love so deep?
Shall I write your name across the sky,
Amongst twinkling diamonds that shine afar ,
Am I crazy or is it the moon
That makes me as I’ve never been?
Time and tide flow gently by
But memories can never die,
So far and yet so near,
I only wish that you were here!
THE RING
The loneliness makes you read and write and express yourself and I’d written this poem 30 years ago and handed it over to my soon to be fiancé on 27-Aug-1990 (the day we were engaged)
This photo was taken on our wedding day.
ODE TO RANI (The Ring)
I offer you a symbol of my love,
E’en more dear than the heavens above,
Deeper than the deepest depths,
More intense than a Nova burst.
Treasure it through joy and pain,
For I may need it back again,
To barter with Charon’s toll
And get me back your precious soul,
For life’s not worth living a single day,
Without you I’d pine away.
Now while my heart soars high like a kite,
As I gaze at you with silent pride
And whisper this heartfelt prayer...
‘Tis a woman worth dying for!
Written for my daughter about two months after she was born and I had to join back on ship. It was gut wrenching for me to leave behind this little bundle of joy, my first born, DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL. I handed this poem to my daughter Anahita on her 16th birthday.
DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL
What can I do my darling child,
To let you know what’s in my heart,
The joy I felt when I saw you first,
The pain I had when we had to part.
All locked within for want of words,
But communicated only with a touch.
You came into my life like the rising sun,
And filled up a void I never knew I had,
A spitting image of my greatest love,
That moonlit face, that sunshine smile,
Where’ve you been all my life,
Were you just a twinkle in your Mama’s eye?
Come sail with me on these deep blue seas,
Where there’s balmy weather and star-studded skies,
And I’ll hold your hand and tell you tales,
Of princesses and fairies and all things nice,
Until you sleep in my arms safe and sound,
Knowing that you’ll always be “Daddy’s Darling Child”
by Shyam George
About the author - Captain Shyam George
Born in Bombay, this proud alumnus has been a voracious consumer of fiction & non-fiction books and novels. While acknowledging his personal development of critical thinking and rational thought to his parents, siblings Shahjan, Shirley and Sheela, soulmate & sounding board Rani and to his alma mater St. Xavier’s Fort, he pays it forward to the younger generation.
A seaman by trade and having had the opportunity to visit various countries, interact with the locals and develop his own insights on humanity in general, he is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experiences to the next thinker, tailor, soldier or sailor. A Master Mariner, who joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 19, Shyam is now retired after a distinguished career spanning more than four decades. A rationalist and atheist by choice, he has taken anchor in God’s Own Country, Trivandrum to be specific.
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