John Masefield and Sea-Fever

TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2010

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a gray dawn breaking.

- John Masefield
From "Sea-Fever"

The English poet John Masefield was was born on this day in 1878. Masefield was appointed the 15th poet laureate of the United Kingdom in 1930, a position which he held until his death in 1967. Let's welcome the month of June with thoughts of the sea. I have always liked ships and boats and water. Sea-Fever is one of my favourite poems because it expresses such a sense of longing and nostalgia. Even if you suffer from sea sickness, you can still related to it because it is so poignant.


SPORTS

The Chicago Blackhawks took control of the Stanley Cup final by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers last night. The Hawks lead the series 2-0 and look to be the better team. It's certainly not over yet, but I think Chicago will take home Lord Stanley's Cup.

After sweeping the feckless Baltimore Orioles, the Blue Jays are now facing the Tampa Bay Rays. The time has come for them to compete with the cream of the American League East. It won't be easy, but they are off to a great start. They defeated Tampa Bay by a score 0f 3-2 last night at the dome.

- Joanne