I was peering inside the attic of an old Vernon house. Throughout raw sawdust was its insulation. This material provides a wise comfort efficient bargain in keeping the heat in and providing warmth to its occupants. It was cheap, easy to obtain, clean, light to handle.
My rhythmic manoeuvre disturbed a protuberance.
Buried within it was a printed, tinged, yellowed, faded, brittle, tattered verse by an unknown author.
I was roused by it.
It is a fitting tribute this Remembrance Day to the 50,000 Allied merchant seamen who lost their lives during the Second World War; a salute to all Vernon seamen who went lost at sea:
On all the oceans,
Whitecaps flow;
You do not see crosses,
Row on row;
But those who sleep
Beneath the sea,
Rest in peace,
For your country is free.
Thank you to the Merchant Navy.
Ed R.R. Witzke
Vernon
