This little ship

This little ship must sail, it must go forth

From the familiar harbour to the lonely sea

Committed to the rhythm of the waves

The long, heartbreaking, crying of the gulls

The churning of the waters.

This little ship must say farewell to shore

Must leave behind the view of soft green hills

The peaceful ebb and flowing of the tides

The laughter of the children on the shore

The safety of its rope.

This little ship must bear its cargo forth

Not knowing if its freight has any worth

But facing down the sea-wrack and the storm

And here be dragons in uncharted places

Alone beneath the stars.

The Knowing is the Peace

Grant me the peace of knowing

For the knowing is the peace

The understanding

That all things come home to your hands,

And that you hold them

Safe in eternal being,

Safe in love

Where the love and the being are one.

Here, a scent of flowers

Drifts to the sense

And memory, soft, awakens

Past the rub and the nub of things

To the heart that is waiting, waiting,

In the touch and the breath of its springtime,

Though we walk through all seasons and years.

Time is heavy, heavy,

And mortal shoulders droop,

Done down in the burden of being

Where love feels a little like drowning

And the birdsongs retreat into silence

That falls like the twilight of life

As harsh as the clashing of stones.

Only love can carry

Through the loneliness of our breathing

To the peace on the other side,

Where hope has wings,

And the kiss and the promise are one,

And the peace is forever.