Poem #9

I remember the panic when it began,

Doubting if I’d be up to the task.

A drowning man gasping for air,

Grasping at any piece of driftwood

Just to stay afloat.

The boat had sunk,

There was no doubt about that,

And nothing I could do about it,

Except stay afloat.

Help wasn’t coming.

No rescue mission to save us.

But we found lifebuoys,

They kept us floating,

Long enough for us to make it to shore.

We found ourselves stranded and isolated,

But we managed to fend for ourselves.

Learned help comes from unexpected places.

The island provides.

Years have passed,

They barely remember the storms we weathered,
But I do, vividly, every time I look at them,

Hoping I haven’t failed.

In the quiet after the tempest,
Each choice echoes like waves against our shore,
Every tear shed, the salt in the sea,
Reminders of the price of this safe harbor we've built.