True Love
Decades ago, fishermen used to tar their lines and nets to preserve and make them more resilient against the Maine coast’s abrasive rocky bottom. They would build a fire under a large tub to liquefy the tar and then dredge their gear through it. It was a messy business, and over the years I have stumbled across many old tarring sites, usually down on rocks by the shore.
On a morning walk on Criehaven I came across this. An offshore fisherman on this most remote of islands took a moment to drip out “true love.” Nothing of Yankee practicality nor frugality in this. It had to come from the heart…but whose? And for whom was it intended? A lovely mystery….haunting and unsolvable.
Since this day there have been some sad times on the island, with the recent deaths of a couple of special friends there. But, as has been said, and as I truly believe, “to die loved is hardly to have died at all.” These dear friends are ever fully loved, and true love endures, as have these words and sentiment, through countless tides, and winters and storms.
