Wednesday 26 January 2011

The Ship

The Ship


 
What is dying?
I am standing on the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts
for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch until at last
she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come
down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says, “There!  She is gone!”
Gone?  Gone where?
Gone from my sight – that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my
side and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of her
destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
“There!  She is gone!”
There are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take
up the glad shout, “There!  She comes!”
And that is dying.
 
 

This week is a very sad one.

4 comments:

Boo's Jewellery said...

That's a lovely way to visualise it - I wish you the strength to get through whatever it is you're having to face.

Reese said...

What a beautiful poem.

In the midst of your loss, I'm praying that you will find comfort, peace and grace.

Tina Mammoser said...

Very lovely Jo. Big (((HUGS))) to you!

Julie Whitmore Pottery said...

This meant so much to me today.
Best
Julie