A Decidedly Beneficial Boat Adventure

By Trevor Denton

I was pushed out to sea
In a boat by myself -
The boat, the ocean and I

No anchor, no crew,
Only my health
And the beautiful, wide open sky

I touched on a shore
With the brightest of sand,
Woke up and wandered around

On an island was I,
A small bit of land,
Where only nature was making a sound

Surviving the day
Was my only concern,
To the trees I turned for my food

Raw meat was cooked,
O'er the fire it burned
Until the flames subdued

It became dark
As I laid on the beach
And observed the stars so bright

And I became scared
Of the world, out of reach
On my island enveloped in night

The depth of the sky
Sifted body from mind
And the universe, suddenly still

Caused me to wonder
Just what I might find -
The holes I might possibly fill

I wondered out loud,
"Will I ever be found?"
While the waves encroached on my bed

With the water approaching,
I heard not a sound
In response to what I had said.

More than just lonely,
I felt like a prey
With the ocean and sky closing in

The stars and the planets
Seemed all on their way
As if against them I had sinned

I turned face down
As the pressure increased
For fear that my bones might collapse

My body felt pressure
Of infinite measure,
On this island uncharted by maps

But the universe spoke
When I opened my ears
Things I am unable to say

And right in that moment
The whole of my fears
Had suddenly drifted away.

I clung to the earth
With the tightest of grips
Borne of gratitude, truth and awe

Of the waves on my face,
The salt on my lips,
And the stars and the planets I saw

I thought to myself,
"Though I'm stuck in this place,
I'm fulfilled, where e'er I may be.

On an island, a mountain,
Or floating through space -
I am infinite, now, I am free."