Silent Still His Ship at Sea

Silent still his ship at sea,
Calm pervades time endlessly,
Concentric circling ripples rise,
The only movement ‘fore his eyes,

Alone, afar on distant shore,
A woman waiting evermore,
For him the one who loves her so,
The distance now her only foe.

Bring forth a breath to lift the sail,
To heave its hull from wat’ry dale,
To creak the board and strain the line,
To fall and rise on waves divine,

He also prays for wind and wave,
The fleeting thought of ocean grave,
What power hath love as nature reigned?
Or God bestow one favor deigned.

All mystery wrapped in this hour,
The winds astir a fevered power,
Pure gusts begin to fill the cloth,
The gallant sea begins to froth.

A sailing full they speed at last,
Amidst a storm and fury’d blast,
The clouds unleash torrential rain,
Awash the sweat; the toil and strain.

But shore again at last is spied,
The crew with spirit fortified,
And lover on the beach does roam,
Her sailor sees his love; he's home.

Peter Lowell Paulson
May 4, 2011