"A Ship in a Bottle"
(10-18-00)

So strong and so beautiful is
A ship upon the sea!
White sails against the backdrop of a clear blue sky
Free to travel where'er it wilt
Across the deep blue oceans of this world.
Oh, to be as free as this!
To be a ship in full cooperation with,
Not controlling of, the powerful wind and waves
Is to truly be one with the world.
Instead we live life as a ship in a bottle:
Put together in a world not of our choosing;
To be set out for all to see.
Locking in by the confines of our bottles;
Sailing to nowhere - no water, no wind...
Stuck in irons without hope of reprieve.
But seeing now, with different eyes,
I know that this is not real.
As this ship, this model, is only a scale
I realize that this is not me.
For truly I am the ship upon the sea
That sails along by a higher power
Through storms and waves with confidence and strength.
But like this ship I feel, I know
That I was made to make it through.
Whetever squall or rain or wind
That encroaches on my journey's way
Is there to make me test myself-
Not to break me down, 
But to build me up!
And so may my winds be swift and my sails be full
Across the ocean that is this life.
And may I reach that distant shore 
Where I may look back on my voyage there
And see that I've lived a life that was full of life-
With no regrets.