The Great Expectation

One more slides down the slipway to unruffled waters on the bay, Here at berth, unrigged, unequipped for a mysterious voyage. Who sets the sails and course to sail – will they the anchor weigh To cast off this ship of life and commence its rocky passage? The seas are calm, the wind is fair, the trials a mere learning curve For days ahead when storms will rage with precious cargos there to hold. Time to learn from older and more fleet – try the new if you’ve the nerve, Become a captain rather than the crew – it can be done if you are bold. On your own seas can be rough – more than one way to round that bluff; Hidden rocks, sandy bars, typhoons, ice and snow, calm and blistery heat – tests of ingenuity. Years roll along, many troughs of waves are ploughed – ofttimes you think you’ve had enough, Those lonesome days and nights leagues hence from friendly haven can cause self-pity. The timbers creak, the ribs are rotten, barnacles have slowed and very soon That Great Expectation slowly shoals in sandy shallows to rest in palm fronded lagoon.