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The Lonely Sailor

No sailor is so lonely
__As one who rows alone
Across the vast and battered seas
__Along the cliffs of stone.

He has no one to read the chart
__No one to man the oar
No one to keep the tiller straight
__And aimed towards the shore.

No, he only rows himself
__But never can reach land
Because his tiller turns about
__Without a steering hand.

Oh, perhaps the day will come
__When he’s not lost at sea
When there’s a helmsman on his ship
__Towards eternity.

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Thor Kangas is from Castle Rock, Washington. He currently works full-time for a commercial HVAC contractor as a Purchasing Manager.

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14 Responses

  1. Jeremiah Johnson

    Great visual on why we need divine leading in our lives!

    That, and nice refurbishing of Dickenson’s closing to “Because I Could not Stop for Death” with that final line – some phrases are just so well-put they never go away!

    Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Without the inspiration of God providing the charts and helping us control the tiller, we all are lost like that sailor at sea. Nicely done with wonderful words and rhyme.

    Reply
  3. Paul A. Freeman

    I went all goosebumpy from the first stanza. Atmospheric. Haunting. Great work, Thor.

    Reply
  4. Adam Sedia

    This is a well-crafted ballad with a musicality that evokes a sea shanty. It is also highly personal, and shifts from a cry of desperation to a prayer for hope. It does a lot in its sixteen lines.

    I don’t recall seeing your work here before, but I encourage you to keep up with your poetry. I enjoyed this very much, and I like seeing work from poets with real (i.e. non-academic) jobs.

    Reply
  5. KYLE FISKE

    Really love this.

    Great concept, cohesive and well-executed work. And really, as Roy observed, we are all alone and adrift without that Helmsman. And with Him, we are never truly alone.

    Reply
  6. Christina(Mrs.B)

    I admire how your use of metaphor transforms everyday experiences into something profound. It’s like there is this loneliness yet hope is not lost! You painted beautiful picture of emotions with words. I hope to see more from you. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    This lovely if lonely sea song takes the short and long view of a sailing adventure. We see the brave details, then draw back to observe the unprepared foolishness of the venture. The last line implies that even on the last day of the lengthy trip toward eternity, the sailor might be able to invoke a helmsman’s help. That’s late to be sure of reaching the destination, so the song also serves as a nautical warning not to leave port alone. Good strong strokes, Thor.

    Reply

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