In the bitter mid-winter
In search of a secret summer
Hope did splinter
And all lay asunder
Waters rage and thrash
Promises wither and shatter
Hearts part without a clash
All is matter; no matter
The sun grows paler
Storm clouds gain speed
To the pleas of the lone sailor
The winds pay no heed
Hard-won wisdom deserts
A frozen heart makes a stand
An unmoored soul drifts
Trials unseen, the waves portend
Uncaring, a valiant battle
With a vessel beyond repair
Indifference, a death rattle
Courage flees in the face of despair
The horizon takes flight
The depths beckon
Hope and fear retreat
With quietude he must reckon
In the throes of his demise
A drop the sailor sought
The thirst he defies
The parched heart he cannot
Valour, unwitnessed
Cowardice, unjudged
That which is not seen
Has not yet been
In the bitter mid-winter
A secret sun gives embrace
The winds scatter
The boat finds purchase
Memories nourish
Promises return
Dreams flourish
Ambitions burn
The horizon daunts
The depths terrorize
The heart thaws
From exile, a rise
Rudderless
But not alone
Faithless
But not forlorn
In the bitter mid-winter
In search of a secret summer
Hope did splinter
But hope springs eternal