As I walked along that lonely shore <br />Miles and miles from anywhere <br />A thick sea mist obscured the horizon <br />Even the gulls were quiet <br />On that cold, dank day <br />There were plenty of shells and pebbles <br />Plenty of wrack and other seaweeds <br />Rusty tins, bits of wood, broken china <br />Lengths of rope and even a bucket and spade <br />It was then that I spied the bottle <br />Left by the tides retreat <br />Wedged firmly between two rocks <br />At the top of a small pool <br />Just an old fashioned wine bottle <br />Clear glass, a dip in it's base <br />A cork rammed well into it's neck <br />Inside I could see a roll of paper <br />Secured by an elastic band <br />Was it a note from some shipwrecked sailor <br />Marooned on some uncharted island <br />Or a letter from someone to their lover <br />In the forlorn hope they might meet again <br />It might even have been a hoax <br />Dropped from some passing ship <br />Curiosity overcame my reluctance <br />I took it back home with me <br />I got the cork out; it took some effort <br />And finally extracted the paper <br />I removed the band and unrolled the page <br />To read, if I could, what was there <br />Somehow the sun or maybe the sea <br />Had so faded the writing and blured the ink <br />That all I could read, was the bit at the bottom <br />Which said, All my love, John.<br /><br />Marilyn Shepperson<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-message-in-a-bottle/
