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Autopilot

Unbelievable
The ease to steer
Not conceivable
Great cheer

As a kid
Had to pay attention
Easy to slid
Much tension

Holding the tiller
Left then right
A thriller
And a fight

Trying to stay on course
The current and wind
A tremendous force
What a grind

Look at the compass
Keep the heading
I am no Columbus
Can be upsetting

But with the autopilot
Push a button
Sails through an eyelet
No longer a shut in

I can leave the cockpit
To set the sails
To get coffee
To take a piss

How fantastic
To set the heading
And feel a bit sarcastic
In this wedding

Am I sailing
Or cheating
Or failing
Not competing

As sailors of old
Fighting the sea
Brave and bold
Fiesty and gutsy
But why
Why do I care
Let me clarify
And share

I am free
To enjoy the ride
Not tied to a tree
Sailing is glorified

Sailing from point a to b
Sailing and enjoying
Enjoyment is the reality
Technology deploying

More leisure
To enjoy the trip
Autopilot is a treasure
To sail the ship

What if life
Could be automatically set
Reducing our strife
Hard work and sweat

Could we enjoy a more leisurely path
Or would we squander our time
More evil and wrath
Crime and a more challenging climb

Idle hands lead to trouble
Watch our society
Where problems double
And so does anxiety

The same on a boat
If you get lazy
You might not stay afloat
How crazy

Technology is to make life better
Ends in making it tougher
We missed the newsletter
Technology is a buffer

Separating us from the turmoil
Of a mundane existence
Not to pamper and spoil
But to help us reduce resistance

Use your wit
Technology is good
But do not quit
Do as you should

Sharks

My first shark
I was very young
It was ugly and dark
I bit my tongue

Five years old
It was moving through the waves
The shark was very bold
I began digging our graves

Circling the sailboat
I was petrified
Leave was my vote
I cried and cried

I was scared
Watching the shark swim
And it stared
Would I lose a limb

They made me climb aboard
Crossing the dock
A gigantic fjord
I was in shock

What if I fell in
Would I die
I saw the gray fin
Just stay dry

Stay in the cockpit
Cowarding there
Keep your wit
Stay on guard and beware

You are the smallest
Very vulnerable
The shark would not eat the tallest
Would my body be recoverable

We sailed around
I constantly worried
I did not fear that I would drown
But where would I be buried

When the shark ate me
My little body buried
Maybe at sea
Never married

We made it to shore
I never saw the shark again
But there was more
I carried this pain

My entire life
Sharks were in my thoughts
Causing me much strife
Let me connect the dots

I lived on the ocean
Swimming in the ocean
Sailing on the ocean
Snorkeling on the ocean

But I have never say another
Until my son caught one
Maybe a kindred brother
But this one was done

The shark made the grill
Tasting very good
I had my fill
A long journey from childhood

In these many years
A second encounter
My lucky stars
Better than a flounder

All those many frets
Will I get eaten
So much stress
I had been beaten

I learned a truth
Late but true
I am long in the tooth
But here is a clue

Worry about what you can see
And what makes sense
Easier to fall from a tree
Or run into a fence

Sailing the Lee

Sailing the Lee
 
I have sailed
Along the lee shore
Sometimes jailed
A situation not to ignore
 
I cannot escape
The wind pushing me hard
Unable to make my sail shape
Act quick or my boat scarred
 
Wrecked upon the rocks
Wrecked upon the reef
Wrecked upon the shoal
Wrecked upon the beach
 
Why keep the boat
Why not swim away
Why not jump and float
Why not go your way
 
I hate to leave my vessel
A good looking ship
Easy to sail and wrestle
Wrestle and ride on a trip
 
Or wasting my life
Hoping to reach or tack
To a safe point with no strife
With wind to my back
 
But where is the fun
Where is the excitement
A blast compared to none
Enticement and incitement
 
Close hauled along the edge
Water breaking over the bow
I have not hedged or pledged
To give up and quit now
 
Flying through the water
The boat lifted high
There is a breakwater
Safety is nearby
 
But why oh why
Do I reduce sail
Or tack and glide by
Using the gale
 
I will miss the challenge
I will miss my love
I will miss the satisfaction
I will miss the gratification
 
There is nothing like her
There is nothing to compare
There are emotions to stir
There are moments to share
 
I plan to sail on
Catching the wind
Until the emotion is gone
Or just left behind
 
Behind in the docks
Or on its trailer
Or sitting on blocks
Missing its sailor