Journeys are teachers,
They teach us to feel tired,
They teach us to walk round obstacles,
They teach us to think about process,
They teach us just to be.
I crossed the Atlantic
In a galleon,
The way you do
Not in a dream,
I wished I were in a dream
When the storm came.
The seas rose up into mountains
Terrifying!
The sea came in uninvited
Wouldn’t leave,
Like an uninvited guest.
The pumps failed
Just like people when you need them most,
We were all bailing.
This is some journey
I thought to myself,
Each of us thought the same thing,
To themselves.
Do we abandon ship?
I asked our captain.
He looked at me,
He looked out at the grey green mountains.
“If we stay with the ship
We have a better chance of survival.”
I think of that often.
As I bail out metaphorically,
All hands to the pumps,
That sense of teamwork.
It is so important
When you get that sinking feeling
To keep bailing.
Caroline Baldock©2000