Always At Sea

Always at sea I think about the dead. On barques invisible they seem to sail The self-same course; and from the decks cry 'Hail'! Then I recall old words that they have said, And see their faces etched upon the mist- Dear faces I have kissed. Always the dead seem very close at sea. The coarse vibrations of the earth debar Our spirit friends from coming where we are. But through God's ether, unimpeded, free, They wing their way, the ocean deeps above- And find the hearts that love. Always at sea my dead come very near. A growing host; some old in spirit lore, And some who crossed to find the other shore But yesterday. All, all, I see and hear With inner senses, while the voice of faith Proclaims-there is no death.