Homer's GULF STREAM

At the debut of the 20th Century the painter Winslow Homer holidayed on the Gulf Stream.

Florida.

Cuba.

And the Caribbean.

According to Wikipedia he read McCabe's Curse, a Bahamian tale about a British Captain McCabe who in 1814 was robbed by thieves, hired a small boat in hopes of reaching a nearby island, but was caught in a storm and later died in Nassau of yellow fever and was inspired to paint his epic GULF STREAM portraying a lost black sailor on a wreck surrounded by sharks which first showed in a 1900 Philadelphia show and then in 1906 at a exhibited at the National Academy of Design after which the jury unanimously demanded that New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art purchase GULD STREAM and the painting has remained property of that establishment since then.

There ain't much better.

Wintah Maine 1959

Walking on a back road
From school
No sign of the sun
Leaden clouds overhead
Fields frozen by deep snow.
A northerly wind from Montreal
A long slog home___
Grey slush underfoot
The wet seeping
Through boots
Cold wet feets
Another mile to Grandmother’s house
Where waits
A warm pot belly stove
Dreaming
Pull off boots
Peel off soxes
Stick frozen toes
Under the heat

Aaah

A cup of tea With milk and sugar

Aaah

No more the cold
Grandmother’s house
Only another half-mile
To go
Till
Grandmother’s house

Spring
Another four months away.
Till then
Counting the days.
To April
Flowers
And no snow.

Aaaah

I spent my early childhood on Falmouth Foresides, Maine, sledding winters on Blackstrap Hill. It was over 400 feet high. There were really winters then, still are in Fort Kent. There are two season in Maine. The season of good sledding and the season of bad sledding. - Doctor Frank A Smith, who rode a sled on his visits around Gorham, Maine, when wintah was truly wintah.

homer's GULF STREAM - Photo Roman

Dark Man lived on Crooked Island. His people had been slaves. They were free now.

Poor, but free, and Dark Man was one of the best fishermen in the Bight of Acklins.

Waking at day clean his wife cooked a meal and he left Maddie with a kiss.

"I goin ta sea."

"All a ya come back from sea too."

The day was good for late-August.

The sky was clear and he had no Wybin’ with nobodys on the island.

All was peace. No Camolly on anyone and he walked down to the shore.

Old town was sleeping late.

Old Fly asked, "What da wybe is?'

"I goin to sea."

"Same always. Conchy Joe."

"I know dat."

Dark Man had no troubles with no Joes. White people had their ways. He let them have them as long as they paid a fair price for his catch.

Young Boy was already on the boat.

He was a good jack. They fished together always. Young Boy was never fast or a leg short. He was as honest as they come and the two of them, dey spirit agree.

"Pull on dem sheets,"shouted Dark Man.

The boat pulled away from shore heading into the Gulf Stream.

Da wind was biggety and Dark Man studied the sky.

An eye for an eye. The sky bear'd watching.

Findin conch was good.Bettah than Crooked Island.

Dark Man dove the deep wata.

Da wind blew steady and strong.

The hold was filling with fish.

Dey took a small-um shark off Plana Cay.

Young Boy didn'y the sky.

"Time we go to home."

"Mussi you right."

<>Twenty miles of sea.

Not a long way on land.

Too long on sea when da wind blow.

Da morning came and the boat was broke.

Young Boy was gone.

A shark took his place.

Showin sef to be a bad fish.

Dark man had no sweet water.

Da sharks were many.

Dey wanted his soul. Dey hungry for his flesh.

They got none.No one dey live der."

Only turtles.

Thy saved Dark Man's life.

Some day ship come. Save his soul. Take him back to Maddie.

Dat day come for sure.

One day soon.