The Mid-Winter Sailor

Aditya V
1 min readJan 23, 2021

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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

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