(a poem from a loved one) To an Ocean Rower

I held on to the tips of your oars last night
Lightly, so that you would not notice me;
I felt the sea wash over my hands and my face, as a thousand stars danced beneath your blades.
Did you feel me?

I sat next to you in a storm as you tried to eat, your hands curled, cracked and cold, your belly tight.
I heard the squalling rain scream as it tore against your roof.
A show of strength with its own applause, an audience of one.
Did you notice me?

I laid beside you in your cabin while you slept, silently, so as not to wake you;
I held you fast against the bow of your boat while your dreams plotted new memories;
the foundations of a different course, a firmer bearing.
Did you hear me?

I watched you as we spoke and saw the words you wrote to me.
I tried to plant a giant's might within you:
it was already there, polished by every stroke and each nautical mile.
I was with you last night, and soon, at the end of an ocean,
You will see me.