Tuesday, February 04, 2020

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.

Monday, February 03, 2020

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.