DAY FOUR of Poetry Month....Sailing Toward Home

SAILING TOWARD HOME

From high up on the rooftop, scanning from left to right,
As far as the eye can see,
Sunlit waters, marshes, channels,
Flocks of birds, their wings catching the light, then disappearing,

as they bank away into the haze falling against distant mountains.

And not so far from the tranquility of this place,

All around, in every direction,
Steel and plaster boxes pulsate
with the activities of today’s world...

But here,
though we are not that far from the wheelers and dealers, the bagmen and brokers,
the politicians and priests...

Here, still, the boats sail out of the channel,

And as the sun sinks low against the horizon,

They mostly come home.
And there is simplicity, a timelessness here,

The faithful sails drift toward shore as they have done through the ages,
Toward one port or another, from one sea to another,
From whatever adventures the journey has held,
The ships, at end of day, come home.

And the world has not changed all that much.
There are blessed reminders
When we can rise above the din and look toward the horizon,

That we are still one with who we were,
Who we have always been.
And who we are to be.

We watch the light change,

And feel the heartbeat quicken,

As we sail toward home.

©Sally Stevens 2010