The boat with the lavender sail

My favorite painting by my father

Is of two sailboats tacking in opposite directions

As they pass close to each other.

The one in the foreground has a lavender sail.

Just to be clear, there is no "ground" in the picture

Just water and perfect conditions for sailing.

Probably Pleasant Bay in Chatham, Cape Cod

Because Pleasant Bay is where my father

Learned to sail when he was a boy.

When he was out there on the open water

That was when he felt free, sailing solo.

He never liked taking orders

Any more than telling others what to do.

He would have liked to teach his kids to sail

But my brother learned at a sailing camp

And I never showed any interest.

Oh, I almost forgot, he was color blind,

Hence the lavender sail.

You would think he would have gotten some help with that,

With his palette,

But he could be a very stubborn man

Especially when he got older.

But I loved him all the same.

We scattered his ashes in Pleasant Bay.