Far back, related on my mothers side,
Old Salt Kossabone, Ill tell you how he died:
(Had been a sailor all his life was nearly 90 lived with his
married grandchild, Jenny;
House on a hill, with view of bay at hand, and distant cape, and
stretch to open sea;)
The last of afternoons, the evening hours, for many a year his
regular custom,
In his great arm chair by the window seated,
(Sometimes, indeed, through half the day,)
Watching the coming, going of the vessels, he mutters to himself
And now the close of all:
One struggling outbound brig, one day, baffled for long cross-
tides and much wrong going,
At last at nightfall strikes the breeze aright, her whole luck veer-
ing,
And swiftly bending round the cape, the darkness proudly enter-
ing, cleaving, as he watches,
Shes free shes on her destination these the last words
when Jenny came, he sat there dead,
Dutch Kossabone, Old Salt, related on my mothers side, far
back.
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This poem reminded me so much of my grandfather. I thought of him as a read that the man was in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy and has passed away. I sadly was not as close to my grandfather as I would have liked to have been. In this poem it seems to me that Jenny is close with her grandfather, I see this by her having him live with her. I saw so much in this poem that I will try to keep it to the point.
We see relationships, connections, family, and love
Reminiscing and telling of the end of someone’s life
Longevity, commitment, closeness
Someone needing or wanting to be around water, serenity, openness, beauty
Shows that he was used to doing the same thing day after day
Comfort, cozy, resting, welcoming feeling
Ritual, customary, happy
Loved the life of the navy, loves watching the ships, the thought of his youth
The struggling of the brig could represent all of the struggles of his own life
His last words for the ship and for himself of his life ending that he is now free