Journeys

 

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