Have you ever looked at an old piece of discarded clothing and wondered: who wore this? what was he/she like? where is he/she now?

"This is an old sea farer's jacket," said the woman in the secondhand store.
I wonder what seas it has traveled or across what distant shores?
I wonder if it's been to Pago Pago or Japan?
I wonder if it's seen the Himalayas or been over the Gobi sands?

The sleeves are worn and tattered.
Three gold buttons are missing, too.
Were they lost in a fight with a Turkish sailor --
or traded for a trinket, or two?
What was the sailor like who wore it?
Was he big, barrel-chested or ugly?
Did he carry a scar 'neath his left cheek or ear --
or hide it 'neath a chin, black and stubbly?

Just an old, ragged, faded blue coat.
"Just a sea farer's jacket," she sighed.