Ferry To Lochaber

Sometimes the unexpected Journey Is as good or better Than the hoped for Arrival at a distant Destination The Caledonian MacBrayne From Armadale to Mallaig Made the going From beautiful Skye A sad parting to be sure Memorable and pleasant A full Scottish breakfast Cooked with care by Our Gaelic hostess At 14 Camus Cross B&B Put us on our way to The ferryboat landing A ticket to the taker, then Driving aboard The car parked in its Vagabond space We headed upstairs to the Passenger deck The sun rising boldly Without obstruction Sparkled on the water Like a treasure chest of Diamonds Scattered across the wave The peaks of Knoydart Were hiding in the gray Ghost-like haze Of morning As we cast off from our Mooring Bands of golden light Streamed through the windows Spilling In kaleidoscope patterns On the dining tables Where we kicked back To relax Armadale Castle bid us Farewell Calling from the shore Getting smaller and smaller As the vessel made its way On its 30 minute sail The bow of the boat Outside on the deck Offered a blast of spray And cold, fresh air Full in the face and Through the hair Gripping A cup of coffee Freshly brewed and Steaming hot Kept the hands warm All the while As we looked around There was On the face of each fellow Passenger The hint of a smile An unmistakable Inner contentment Such moments Are rare But necessary We collect them as we may Take them in and Cherish them Too short, too soon The journey ends Packing up our responsibilities We, denizens of the world, head Back down the stairs Into our cars Start our engines And off we go... ~ Laurence Overmire (Previously published in The Ghost of Rabbie Burns: An American Poet's Journey Through Scotland, Indelible Mark Publishing,2016)