Boats
We talk about change:
moving forward, falling back
into all the old habits, patterns,
cycles of destruction
and self-destruction.
Every change I make
someone, me,
has made before.
Our days are filled
with decisions that a day
can reverse.
Mostly, we are unaware
of the process.
We will never be able to claim
to have perfected the art
of thinking
before we act.
These days, my decisions
are increasingly
conscious,
and I relish
every thought-out action –
they are the anchor
keeping my boat from drifting
out to sea, into the darkness
I can’t control,
with no captain
at the helm.
Wisdom lurks
in unlikely places.
I grasp at every scrap
I can reach.
I stare into the blackest ocean depths,
watch waves capsize
so many vessels.
I know
the ocean is wild,
fierce, an untamable beast
at the mercy of the moon, but
I take comfort in the anchor,
and in me,
finally the captain, finally
at the ship’s helm.
Still, I can’t forget
her unpredictability, the havoc
she can wreak, the power
she possesses, so much greater
than my own. So
I follow the weather reports,
keep one eye on the moon, the other
on the relentless waves,
and when the storm warnings come,
long before the danger
makes its way to my realm,
I will take my dinghy to shore,
and find safety
on solid ground.
After the danger passes,
I am not afraid,
again I brave the beast’s dangers,
board my boat,
lift the anchor,
steer my ship
in the right direction.
I always remember
to keep one eye
on the moon, one
on the waves,
and an ear open
for storm warnings.
copyright 2006 Katherine Andrews
