Restless

A ship is always safe at shore--

but that is not what it's built for.

                      ALBERT EINSTEIN

Tossing and turning me to sleep,

My ship is anchored

At the dock

I am nestled into a familiar safety

The same pelicans pass above me

Every day

Callused old fishermen ask why

I never leave the dock

Fear's harsh command holds me hostage:

Never leave the dock.

The girl who bought this boat

Bled with wanderlust

That could never be satisfied.

And again, fear grips me:

That could never be satisfied.

The child who drew this ship

On the blank backs of her homework

Ached for the day

She'd see a whale no one else had.

Hope stirred her:

She'd see a whale no one else had.

Her faith in fairies, fables, and family

Blinded her from serpents, sinners, and sharks

So I lay here, waiting

Waiting

For a fisherman

To cut the rope

That keeps me grounded

To shatter the chain

That steadies my ship at the shore

To thrust my vessel into stormy seas

Because then I might feel something again.

A drowning death would hurt, I'm sure

But it would kill me slower to stay on the shore

So I silently beg you

Don't obey my fearful phrases

Don't believe my lying lips--

Cut my grounding

Uproot my anchor

Free  me   to    the     r e s t l e s s       s  e  a .