---

the waves so crash
against the boat;
the feel of journey's distance
out of reach

oceans yawning wide,
abyss so deep,
it's heart
no longer safe to keep,
nor there to sleep

a source of secrets,
that now call...
and beg for us to reap
what long ago was sown...
among the beauty of the coral reef;
rich with mosses there now grown

the sun's perplexing tendrils
no longer seem to be her own,
as they reflect cascades of beauty,
penetrating far beneath the surface,
reaching long... to depths unknown...

yet ceasing to touch far enough
to expose the waiting cask of perpetuity,
among the darkest swells,
within this vast oasis;
the source...
of all our many wells

as amber rays now fade to night,
the golden glow of moon's delight
relentlessly...
follows me...
across the deck

as i behold
the breathless beauty
of untold worlds
in raging softness
that surrounds me
on this once-thought foolish jaunt

and the music of the seas
now moans and swirls;
begins to taunt and tease
my senses
into comfort that,
until now, i had never known
could put my mind and soul
at such perfect ease

and i commune with images from long ago,
for this -- the prize that i now know
so many here before have boldly fought:

the love of journey; the peace of mind
and boundless solitude
for which my pen now scribes the riches
it so justly knows have ere been bought;

and purest treasure now bursts forth and grows --
unceasing...
even with the tide's
most subtle ebbs and flows;

and though this voyage
will one day reach shore,
i know...
i shall return

for here... is where i've found
those priceless jewels
so many others
have forever sought.

Copyright (c) Jeff Mason and Deborah Richards