On Winged Words...: Ode to a ferry ride...

Well, perhaps what follows is not technically a true ode, but at any rate, here are some musings that sailed through my head as we sailed through the waters on our way to our weekend in Mykonos...

It's 832. We've been making waves in the water for almost an hour. We've been traveling via some form of transportation (legs, taxi, metro, more legs, now the ferry I just mentioned) for nearly three hours. Albeit there was some sitting and standing and sitting and moving up deck for part of it). And we've been awake for a good four hours. After only sleeping for four. Some of us have turned back to sleeping. Or trying to. wrapping arms around luggage. Leaning heads back against the rail in a position that can't be comfortable for long, though you think it is. Or folding arms into a pseudo pillow on the table. Now I lay me down to sleep. She can't sleep.

But some of us stay awake. Feel the breeze. Breathe in and out. It helps with the motion sickness. Keeping it just at bay. Except when you go to breathe in and get equal doses of air and that lady's cigarette smoke at the table next to us. But they just left.

Look around. He writes and they sleep and she tries to sleep. And those four sit at the table behind engaged in a set back. It's a game. A game of cards. A burst of laughter here. An aha moment there. A smile. A frown. A glance. Sleep tugs at their eyes and their mouths. Have you ever noticed that it does that? Except when they burst into a small smile or laughter. Their mouths turn down at the corners. She can't sleep either. But she folds her limb pillow and tries again.

we will be up for a good while longer.

Feel the breeze that might be cold. But you're getting used to it. So you think, despite the bumps now fitting your legs and arms. You wanted to be stronger than the wind. Resist the cold that almost always plagues. Alas. You wonder in the same vein how long you'll be able to resist the tug of a different urge. Probably not much longer if history is any indication. She's given up sleep.

Feel the wind. Feels good. Picks up speed. Pulls your hair. Combs your hair but in the opposite sense because you know it'll end up in teeny tiny knots.

You lost that secondary battle. As you make your way inside to surrender, the air changes. The cold inside is a false cold and it's worse than the breeze that wraps its arms around you as it blows by. Like, it pauses in its hurry just to say hi, to let you feel the cool, fresh essence of it. Inside it's just cold. A false cold. Sometimes it's nice but now you just know it for what it really is. A fraud. Anyway. It's also quieter in here. But that too is just a false quiet. And it seems stiller in here but that is also just a pseudo stillness. Because you think you're still but you still have the knowledge and the slight feeling that you're moving. A kind of shaking. Maybe rocking. Small but constant jolting. Today at least it's better on deck. And now that you have conceded you can head back up. Before the false quiet and cold lull you senseless. Make you forget the gentle calming cooling touch of the breeze. Make you loose the settled feeling the freshness of breezing in.

Make your way.

Breathe it in and let it out.

It's better up here.

1019

Did I really think it was better up here? Can I rescind those earlier comments? The wind's "gentle, playful tug" has become a most insistent and bothersome whipping assault. And the lull of the ship has become a rocking choppy dangerous game of "can you hold your balance?". A little more than Two hours to go. But we could be there and I think all of us would be quite happy to be done.

One still sleeps. Snacks have been purchased and are being had. She turns to read. They walk to the rail to stretch, to snap a shot.

Do you ever stop and just look at the people around you? Well, never just look as in only look but look and notice and wonder and look back and notice more and wonder even more. Do you wonder if they ever look and wonder at you...

And now for some pictures from said ferry ride (as well as from the ride back)...