By William Laferriere
I could never have envisioned
Something more difficult
More treacherous, and yet more sublime,
than Sailing Stormy Seas
When persistent unseen waves
Pound you and the afterdecks,
Knocking the rails,
as the boom vang screams
Forcing you to man the helm
Both hands in a locked embrace
Anticipating that mysterious rogue wave
a potential overboard
It’s as if your life too
Staggered and dependent upon
Your ability to navigate the tempest
and withstand the test
Your intellect channels
The Ancient Mariner
The winds howling
almost jeering
And yet you navigate by compass
Under a relentless blow
Water swelling
water everywhere
True danger presents itself
And yet no one aboard
Thinks twice, or doubts,
having faith in the vessel
And then I met
An entire community
Biopsied and diagnosed
so beautiful in their resilience
Like that lost sailor
Who spent her time at sea
And withstood the torrential
as the shore lights ultimately beckoned
