-- Sunstone --

John Herlihy

Not precious as in a gemstone,

Born in shadows to perceive light.

Unique gem of its kind, the sunstone,

At ease in shadows to capture light.

By night, seafarers relied on the stars,

Of north or south, they show the way.

The day’s sun takes the place of stars,

East and west, bookends of the day.

What of days that boast of no sun,

How did ancient navigators find way.

To move ships on course, zero-sum,

No room for error in a sea at play.

The sunstone, a simple piece of glass,

Tucked in a pocket, held in the hand.

Fortunes of good navigation to amass,

Heading west will give no reprimand.

So, the Vikings accepted the sea’s dare,

Journey across vast oceans to explore.

Boldness and a little courage to spare,

Venture to places never gone before.

To locate the sun when not in view,

Behind clouds in a fixed point of sky.

A sense of direction Vikings never knew,

The stone told truth, never asked why.

The precious stone held forth to the sky,

Searching in shadows fragments of light.

Breasts expanded on this stone to rely,

Ventured, never lost, on course ever right.

Into the unknown, they courageously went,

Releasing two ravens to discover the land.

Fears mingled with rain, their hearts spent,

Lo listen! Cries of seagulls did land portend.

Cries of the sailors’ joy echoed in uproar,

The sunstone rested in the captain’s palm.

Mythic lands in the West they did implore,

Vikings entered folklore of a Nordic psalm.

Into the mist vanishes the Viking horde,

Adventurous, imaginative, brave and bold.

History will all their daring feats record,

Whispers Into the ears of children told.

An ancient sunstone now found in faith,

An eye of light shining within life’s storm.

Showing us the way like a ghostly wraith,

Past and future days its wisdom to inform.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Monday 1 November 2021