Been going through a bit of this myself lately...thinking about aging...well written.

Superb descriptions. This could describe anything and anybody. it says a lot in a short amount of time.

I absolutely love the simplicity of this poem, it effectively conveys a great deal in few words. One of my favorites...

Nice work. Enjoyed.

MUCH is said in the few prolific lines!......M

Damned good analogy.

Ron

Jude, women get worn out too. Weathering creates character and wisdom. So don't worry. ~ Sara

...and this too is how those old sea dogs always found more trouble! LOL!
Someone needs to alert the mainland!
Please!... send for some replacement parts in order to set this compass straight! He must untie his ropes and sail away from the docks, going forward for the rest of his journey...
Steer straight into the paths of rejuvenated wakes and continued dreams...
free all those old kinks and knots, always directing yourself, on a self guiding course of purpose, anchored in success!
To hec with those over-crowded so called "safe harbors!"

This intrigued me with its duality...Jude~
as always...
Loved it!
Love and Peace~
Kimmy~

he is tired, yet keeps on

very good message
very visual
and soul stirring

Wooo! Sounds like marine salvage from the Flying Dutchman!
Nice and rusty with class. . . creak on Jude!
blessin's,
cynth'ya

Sail on ... wonderfully written ... hugs

Jude

If we keep the engine well oiled and ticking over nicely, it can never rust..
Great metaphorical treat

Peter

crusty yet sweet

I could picture an old fellow there. Lady J

Jude.....the metaphors here are dazzling, yet melancholy. Outstanding! I love poetry that makes me feel and moves me. Good job, luv!

Jules

Jude,

This one glistens with truth and denouement! Beautifully crafted.

Love&Blessings, Rhonda

I love and appreciate this metaphorical poetic creation, Jude. Thank you for sharing it. Love and peace to you,

Regis

The Old Wreck lives! :)) Your allusion to the steady physical erosion of Anno Domini reminds me a bit of your Little Time write, though the meanings of that were perhaps more temporal. But although the images in this are anchored and concrete, I like the spiritual inferences in the final six lines. Truth is, the soul is going on and on into deeper and deeper waters irrespective of the fading of its fabric. And your sails are trimmed and set for eternal fair winds and calm waters where the mooring is safe and where there will ALWAYS be room to live, breathe and grow. You steer constantly with your compass set for Home, whatever that means for you. As Dawn says, there will surely be room enough amid the constant ebb and flow of future tides and times. Bon Voyage, Amigo! :)) LOL Kate xx

If only Captain McSorely of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald could have "Cantankerously making his way To the safest harbor..."

But...Captain McSorely's soul is in a watery grave finally anchored here...The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald as Told by the Muse...sung by Gordon Lightfoot
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?id=162767

Sage

Great write Jude sound
like my case history
I Think my rudder is stuck
in one direction.....lol
excellent creation
Peace be with you

William

Your outstanding poem instantly sent my memory back to this song:
"A most mysterious calling harbor
So far but yet so near
Where I see the day when my hair's full gray
And I finally disappear" --Jimmy Buffett (One Particular Harbor)
I love it when you use nautical and oceanic metaphors in your work!
~Butch Howard

Very nice!

I can read about the sea all day. here the comfort of the shore, resting and lapped by gentle waves, is palpable, Jude. an undercurrent of life's pain, perhaps, but that only strengthens the call home which we can only seek to answer as we surrender to weathered wisdom. there will be room enough. Dawn

Excellent written and love metaphor the way you expressed
Your thoughts on man coming to terms and facing
The reality of aging but is just as hard for us gals
Great poem outstanding imagery and flow!!
Enjoyed reading very much!
Love Peace and Joy and many Hugsss...Morning star

Jude, I loved your metaphor here, yes, time eases in to capture our young youth and replace it with wrinkles, aches, pains, and staggering frames. Thank God though, the old vessel is still hanging in there and performing duties as it can. Your poetry amazes me...you capture the soul of many readers I am sure...you've sure captured this one.

enjoyed the read

Is this ED K's new bio....

One very fine offering!!

Are you enjoying your time in the sun???

Now all Sea Weathered..hmmmm???

Love Tinka :))

Great poem. I can identify with feeling like a ship wreck.

Yes, long battles, rough seas, rocky coasts, will often "harden" the sailor's skin and the boat's keel. But... somehow, in the sailor's heart and the boat's hull, there will always be "room" for dreams, for hope, for beautiful sunsets... and for love, where they can anchor safely... and also sail with, again, at sunrise, on to discoveries always new. This is possible... when both the sailor and the boat... are a poet. :0)
Love & {{{{{{hugs}}}}}}
Alexandra*

A really fine poem of man facing the reality of aging, metaphors superb, honesty admirable...anchoring isn't all that bad you know;-)

ET

Jude,

Worn, but hasn't been sunk YET. :) Well done! Love the brevity and mood of this one. Hope lives!

(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.

a very passive feel to this, well written

Rich in content and great comparison I'd never thought about using. Write well done!

George

sometimes, all one needs is a moor; a port in the sotrm. .. this is fabulously quiet, and liquid, like the oceans that roll beneath this. ..such depth and deftness.
.ness.

Old man and the sea, never restful unless on his boat. Will he finally anchor his boat? Victor

He sits on his deck
Like an old, rusted battleship

But I bet he's got some marvelous memories.

I hope when my time comes I can drop anchor at my favorite mooring...Ed

nice write, Jude, made me think of my dad, who spent many years as a Merchant Marine and long after he left the seamans life, the sea never left him.

daa

You brought him to life Jude.

Old Man And The Sea... Later in life the quiet cove seems safe and comfortable... The quest for the thrill of the open sea is for the young.

Another great poem by one of my favorite poets.

Great writing,enjoyed...Hugssssss

Great images Robert...

The waterside boneyard for an Old Salt, too weary to argue with another angry sea, but too attached to ever wander far from her. Weathered and weak, he still responds to her ebb and her flow, waiting for the final day when she will call him home. Moving and painful, your words are palpable and image rich, reaching into the soul of all whose bodies seem to be showing the wear of the years even though we still "feel" our youth coursing through our veins.
Take care,
Sherry

my oh my, i really do love this one, jude; must be my salty new england/yankee roots.
sail on, poet!
peace,
carolyn

I'd rather be on the high sea's with four sheets to the wind, than relegated to the docks!!
Take her back out, trim the mainmast :)
Hugs Ch'erie

You must have been reading my latest Jude for this is how I felt when I wrote it last night.
Great work and believable images

Fee

A poem that's like an oinment for an aching old sailor, which is hoping going along not too cantakerously.
Georg

yep - and someone put ink around the eye piece of my telescope that i used to read this poem, so now, aye aye Captin, what with everything else *grumble grumble* i look like i've got a black eye - *goes grumpily mumbling below deck for some white spirit* Good sailing, good rest to you and the Grumpy Captin - Captina Cantankerous, aka Nicky x