Oh, to helm an angel ship
__Adrift in a billowy sea
With a specter crew in a sky of blue,
__Just the vast beyond and me.

Flying the mist like gulls on the wind,
__With never a falter or care,
On silver sails and vapor trails
__To the call of the open air

Soaring past cumulus mountains,
__As higher and higher I climb
While breezes blow over waves like snow
__On the other side of time.

The course is set by the hand of faith
__For a port beyond the sun,
And God will give eternal peace
__When at last the journey’s done.

 

 

C. David Hay is a retired dentist living in Indiana and Florida. He received his BS  and Doctor of Dental surgery Degrees from Indiana University. He is the author of five books of poetry which are dedicated to his wife, Joy. He has been widely published nationally and abroad and his poetry has been read on the British Broadcasting Channel. He was the first American published in the Nezavisimaya Gazeta in Russia. He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in Poetry and is the recipient of the Ordo Honoris  Award from Kappa Delta Rho.

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


CODEC Stories:

14 Responses

    • C.B. Anderson

      C. David,

      This was a very toothsome poem with sharp images and a very well balanced amalgam of iambs & anapests. It rolls through the mind’s ear like distant thunder and leaves behind the tang of ozone. Nicely executed!

      Reply
  3. Sally Cook

    Thank you for your poem.; for your choice of form, your meter and rhyme, apt vocabulary and for not pounding your strong message home. This sort of poem works much better if it simply seeps into the air and is inhaled as a home truth. Like Joe. I am uplifted on a Sunday.

    Reply
  5. Dick Lackman

    Wow, what a beautiful poem combining images of a ship on the sea setting the course for our faith. With wonderful fluidity and a meaningful story, truely language squared.

    Reply
  6. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    This beautiful poem puts me in mind of “Sea Fever” by John Masefield – a wonderful start to my Sunday morning! Thank you, Mr. Hay.

    Reply
  7. Rod Walford

    Like Susan, I was reminded of Masefield! As a lover of all things maritime I really enjoyed your beautiful poem in which you have taken things a step further, leading us to our glorious conclusion. Great work- thank you!

    Reply
  9. Don Schroeder

    Another great poem by “America’s favorite poet”–at least my favorite poet and I’m an American!

    Reply
  10. David Watt

    C. David, your poem also reminded me of Masefield’s ‘Sea Fever’.
    It has the same melodic quality and maritime setting. I look forward to reading more of your work.

    Reply
  12. Dan Leach

    David-I rarely am moved by direct references to God or any other device which relies on a shared didactic assumption, but you have accomplished such a genuine spiritually uplifting effect in the first three stanzas of this poem as to give a heightened and altogether transcendent meaning to the final, triumphantly beautiful stanza. Thank you.

    Reply
  13. Victoria

    So beautiful, is it our final journey at the end of our lives? The angels ship to heaven.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Victoria Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Captcha loading...

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.