.

A’sailin’

‘Twould seem quite true I never was
__the captain of this ship,
though in my youth I did believe
__in charting my own trip.

But Master Time has made it clear
__how lowly is my rank.
I’ve silver locks and aching limbs
__and soon I’ll walk the plank.

One thing I’ve learned as days go by
__a‘sailin’ life’s rough seas:
It doesn’t work to push against
__what comes upon the breeze.

For when I tried to turn the tide,
__instead the tide turned me;
the Sea of Life dictates for us
__in ways we can’t foresee.

‘Tis true that we are powerless
__to stop waves high and low,
but we can choose to welcome both
__the pleasure and the woe.

And so this ship does carry me
__through seas both sweet and tart.
When I embrace my life, I live
__with full, contented heart.

.

.

Cynthia Bernard is a long-time classroom teacher and an emerging writer of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. She lives on a hill overlooking the ocean, about 25 miles south of San Francisco. Her work has appeared in Multiplicity Magazine, Passager, Verse-Virtual, Poetry Breakfast, The Seattle Star, and elsewhere. She was selected by Western Rivers Conservancy to serve as the Poet-Protector of Deer Creek Falls in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills.

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20 Responses

  1. Paul A. Freeman

    I read your poem in my inimitable (!) sing-song, jocular pirate accent. Lovely use of sea and sailing imagery to convey lessons of life (loved especially the walking the plank image to represent death).

    Thanks for the read.

    Reply
  2. Russel Winick

    Wonderful poem! I love the message and imagery, plus the meter and rhyme are spot-on. “For when I tried to turn the tide, instead the tide turned me” — classic!

    Reply
  3. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Precious poem that spoke to me about how to reflect on my own life. There is much in my life that found me going against the tide, but I should be content with what I accomplished. I loved the rhythm and rhyme along with the well thought out words.

    Reply
  5. C.B. Anderson

    You are right. We cannot push it off; we can only take it in. Life is too often an undervalued gift, and yet we can’t live without it. I place you in the vicinity of Half Moon Bay, where I spent a week with my oldest friends a year or two ago, and I thank you for the pungent timely reminder of what is really happening to us.

    Reply
  6. Shamik Banerjee

    You have artfully carried and conveyed your message through the ship, sea, and sailing metaphor. Very well done, Cynthia!

    Reply
  7. Bob Elkins

    Nicely put Cynthia, I suggest only we “old folks” truly understand your meaning. well done!

    Reply
  8. Jeff Shakespeare, PhD

    Cynthia,
    This poem represents the true essence of classical poetry. Your analogy between the restless sea and the vicissitudes of life is so compelling! Thanks for the read.

    Reply
  9. Cheryl A Corey

    This reminds me of a Chinese idiom, “ku hai”, which I believe roughly translates to mean that life is a bitter sea, that it’s our human desire which makes life bitter. If anyone has a more accurate interpretation, I welcome their thoughts. Nice metaphor, Cynthia. Who doesn’t dread “walking the plank”?

    Reply

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