He always thought of the sea as 'la mar'
Which is what people call her in Spanish
When they love her.
Sometimes those who love her
Say bad things of her
But they are always said as though
She were a woman.
Some of the younger fishermen,
Spoke of her as 'el mar' which is masculine.
They spoke of her as a contestant or a place
Or even an enemy.
But the old man always thought of her as feminine
And as something that gave or withheld great favors,
And if she did wild or wicked things
It was because she could not help them.
The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought.
