A special event,
her 450th crossing.
Queen Mary 2 gracefully sailed out of Southampton,
majestic against the fading shore,
elegant as the land slipped from view.

Ahead lay the Atlantic,
and days we did not need to organise.
Relaxing into the rhythm of the ship,
no stress,
just the pleasure of being carried.

Full English breakfasts,
with nowhere urgent to go.
World class lectures
taking our thoughts beyond the horizon.
Lots of books in the library,
and time, at last,
to turn another page.

Watching the vast empty ocean,
we found ourselves saying less,
content to sit beside the windows
as the water changed its colour.

High seas, but the ship stays upright,
carrying us through another rolling afternoon.
Plenty of showers,
but it did not dampen our spirits.
Rainbows came to brighten up the skies,
and we paused to watch
until the last colour disappeared.

Trivia games in the lounge,
a whispered answer,
a confident guess we would later regret.
Afternoon tea delights,
another cup poured,
another reason to linger.

Then the small ceremony of evening:
dress to impress,
fancy gala nights,
a hand offered on the staircase.

Pre dinner champagne,
the first welcome sparkle.
Champagne at dinner,
alongside gourmet dinners
and conversations stretching between courses.
Post dinner champagne—
by now, an established tradition.
Anytime Champagne,
as someone was always ready to suggest.

Great shows in the theatre,
live jazz in the bar,
then dancing the night away,
quite forgetting
how far we were from land.

Making new friends
began with an empty chair,
a name,
a question.
Attentive listening
turned strangers into familiar faces,
and soon there was laughter and joy
at tables we were reluctant to leave.

Outside, the Atlantic continued
in its own enormous silence.
Inside, we stayed a little longer,
while this gracious ship
carried our ordinary lives
somewhere wonderfully out of reach.