We all had a mother, or a friend’s mother like her
Maybe she was your grandma, or an acquaintance
But we all knew the toughest woman on the block
Because she was the sailor’s wife

She would make you dinner
And the vibrant taste of Atlantic cod with lemon and oranges
Made you cry out for more, even when your stomach was full
But you would never call her a kitchen maid

She was tough as nails and knew her way around a fishing boat
In a world dominated by men, she’d show up the likes of them all
And not because she could but because it suited her fancy
She was respected by any man who had the wit to be wise

Come fishing season she’d kiss her husband goodbye
She was certain he’d return
If he didn’t he’d get a stern talking-to in the afterlife
But we all saw it, the fear he wouldn’t return spread like wildfire behind her eyes

The sailor’s wife, the fisherman’s wife
That’s what we all called her
She was not disliked by anyone
And those who were indifferent to her didn’t like the fact that she spoke her mind

She had a war-torn face, because she fought a battle inside her head everyday
It’s a lonely life, being the sailor’s wife
She had children, all of whom she loved
But they were grown and gone and she was all alone again

We knew her in the good times, when fishing season had been plentiful
And her husband would return with money in his pocket and a kiss on his lips
We knew her in the hard times, when the waters had dried up
And her husband would return with little more than a penny and a cold hug

But it was in the last few years for the sailor’s wife
That we knew her best
Because it was inevitable that one late fall
The fishing boat Lady Muirgen would not return

The men, the crew were lost at sea
And she tried to hide her tears behind her brick wall of stubbornness
But she couldn’t, because she fell in love with a sailor
And that sailor would never return from the Atlantic again

Her children came back to their small home town for the funeral
With nothing but a picture to mourn and cry over for the body was lost at sea
She didn’t cry, but her face was wrought with angry lines that magnified her features
It was his fault because he left, she said, but it was her fault for letting him go

She would then forever be known as the sailor’s widow
Her children said their goodbyes and left again
She told herself she was used to the loneliness
But no human ever really can be, not even a woman with a heart of stone

That’s when we knew her, in her darkest hour
Because we were kids but we were her friends
The sailor’s wife taught us to cook
But she also taught us how to tie a bowline

In her last few years she taught us more about life and love than any teacher
And when she died we were there by her side for her last breaths
And she told the boys to never become fishermen
And she told the girls, never fall in love with a sailor