"To understand any living thing, you must, so to say, creep within and feel the beating of its heart". -- W. MacNeile Dixon, poet, historian, scholar of the English language.While waiting to board a boat out of Boston Harbor I noticed this young man wandering around the waterfront. As soon as this ship appeared he sat on the thick black chain and watched the ship until it vanished into the open waters of the Atlantic.
I wondered what brought the young man to the waterfront, and in particular what fascinated him about the ship. He didn't board any of the boats leaving the harbor, and he was still on land when my boat left.
- Was he yearning for the freedom of sailing around the world and dreaming of the ports he might visit?
- Did he just disembark from the ship and may be missing his shipmates?
- Does he aspire to build great ships?
- Or, maybe he just enjoys spending time by the water.
What is your impression?
Wouldn't it be sad if he works on that boat, and he didn't make it back in time to sail. He's now in a strange city, without a job, wondering what his next move should be. He sat there so long because he isn't quite sure what to do next.
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