Dan Cullinan – A reflective piece from a poet who finds calm in stillness.
Dan Cullinan is a poet quietly working his way through Liverpool’s spoken-word and grassroots poetry scene. Since beginning to write seriously in 2017, Cullinan has published two collections, The Vietnam Collection and Accidentally Poetic. Beyond writing, he’s the founder and curator of the open-mic series Give Poetry A Chance, a regular fixture offering free-to-attend nights that bring together seasoned and emerging voices in poetry.
With this poem — titled The Old Man and the Sea — Cullinan turns inward. The piece speaks plainly about solitude and self-sufficiency, about the difference between loneliness and the kind of quiet we choose. Cullinan describes himself as “the old man,” the world as his sea. He embraces travelling alone, walking in his own company — not from longing or escapism, but as a way to find calm, clarity, and personal space. The poem suggests that for some, being alone offers a sort of freedom many shy away from.
In a city whose creative energy often comes from crowds and noise, this poem offers a quieter perspective — one of solitude as refuge, not absence. It stands apart from fast paced, performance-driven work, anchoring itself in the stillness of personal thought. Cullinan isn’t searching for applause; rather, he shares a quietly honest meditation on what it means to be alone, to be content, even when solitude might be misunderstood.
As part of the 52 for 26 Poetry Project, The Old Man and the Sea adds a tone of calm introspection. It reminds us that poetry doesn’t always need urgency or spectacle — sometimes the simplest moments offer the clearest truth.
The Old Man Of The Sea
There’s a story about an old man and the sea
That started in this little old town
But it has been told far and wide
The old man was known to many in the town
But over time, those who knew him passed or moved on
And he became a stranger to those who lived there
As those he knew left his life
For one reason or another
He too started to drift
He started to sail a little old boat
Across a little old lake
And in time he’d go further out
Until he started to sail into the unknown
He was sometimes spotted by locals
As he sailed across the lake
In the thick fog of winter
He’d never dock
Always remaining onboard
Always a mystery in the distance
To those he’d pass
The locals started to wonder
Who he was, where he’d been
And where he was going to
There were many theories
From fleeing from grief
To a nervous breakdown
But one consistent comment was that
He must be lonely out there
The old man would argue different
The old man is married to the sea
And his love covers this wide world over
Alone doesn’t equate to lonely
The old man knew this
But very few people understood
The old man is a cynic
He believes that people only change if they want to
And most people don’t want to
It takes great work to change
And work requires great effort and reflection
But few ever change, as they must accept
That they possess behaviours that require improvement
Waves, although unpredictable, like people
Can change through many different factors
Destructive storms pass, destructive people are hard to shift
The old man seeks adventure in the unknown
He doesn’t believe in solitude
Because there’s always something around
On every voyage, nature greets him like an old friend
And like an old friend, nature is full of surprises
He has encountered both friendly and difficult creatures
But his love for them, and the challenges he faces
Are all the same
The people of this little old town
Don’t understand his curiosity with the unknown
Or his love for adventure
And especially not his comfort in being alone
The old man describes himself like the man in the moon
He’s not lonely, because he’s surrounded by
Stars, planets, and endless galaxies
And the moon is his vessel, like his little old boat
The old man is the master of his happiness
And he defines what love is to him
The people in the town take pity on the old man
And he takes pity on them too
No chains confine the old man
He is on an endless journey through life
With only his little old ship, and his little old self
He couldn’t ask for more in his little old life
And one day I too will be the old man and the sea
But for now, I’m the young man and his thoughts
