Taoide Stiurthe (A Tide Will Guide You if You let it)

This ink engraved across my chest,
above my heart, below my mind,
appears to be a guiding tide
that pulls together life and limb.

A message sent, these ghostly words,
from sailors of the emerald coast,
who cast their prayers from wave-worn boats
while riding swells where mermaids swim.

A lighthouse built to guide my dreams,
the sailors knew I’d need a home
to save, in vein, this drowning soul,
while red drips slowly from black ink.

They died like waves that fade to shore,
a memory now, within my pores.