From January, 2019…
The water is dark
I’m sinking fast
I do not think that my lungs can last.
I’ve been out here forever
Alone in the sea
When I fell off the boat
No man noticed me.
The boat kept going
As boats are want to do
Because the crew can’t afford to turn back for you.
Now the lead in my chest is weighing me down.
I cannot break the surface
I’m going to drown.
Emptiness above
Emptiness below
I have no choice
Down I go.
My fire’s gone cold
The light grows dim
Alone in the sea
I pray, on a whim.
Once more I look
I search the sky
Is anything there?
On watch, up high?
Then I spot, in the dark
A single bright star
It lights up the night
Like a fire from afar.
I take one last breath
I burst above the waves
With what’s left of my strength
I strain, focus my gaze.
The last thing I see upon that dark northern sky
Is that lone star silhouetting an island but nigh.
But then my arms went limp
And my eyes rolled back
My body stopped fighting
And the world turned black.
I awoke on a beach as the night was fading
Pulled myself to my feet though my body was aching
The island seemed small
But it’s forest was dense.
Spotting a path through the wood
I made my way hence.
A narrow path well tread
But at the edges, overgrown.
Lined with ancient trees and walls of crumbling stone.
I came upon a clearing off the path through the wood.
In the middle, by fire, a single man stood.
I approached and was struck.
Wait? How could this be?
This lonely old man bears resemblance to me
“Welcome, my son”
I said, “you’re not my father”
“I am the father of all of your fathers
“You found me on the brink of your imminent death
Conjured by you with your very last breath
“You sought, at the end, the last speck of light
Then you found it, now you’re here, you made it through the night.
“You’re not the first and you’re not the last
To fall off the boat and drift, offcast.
“Many drown
Most are devoured
Few wash ashore their penultimate hour
To seek the light
Walk the old road
Squelch desire for the conventional mode.
—
“As the warmth of my fire restores color to your face
Your time has come to leave this place.
Linger longer and you will burn
So to the sea you must return.”
He led me down and around through the rock
Stopped and pointed to a long narrow dock.
A small boat was moored there
Floating serenely
He then spun me around and addressed me keenly,
“It is time for you to return to the sea.
Know that once you’ve found the light
You can always find me
“This boat will take you where you need to go
But seek out others
Don’t float alone.
“At the end of your journey
When you’ve reached your beach
The story of my light in the dark you must teach
“So that they can find me,
Just like you
Repeat the cycle,
rescue, renew.”