She told them she was ready
To sail across the sea
To fly so early seemed
Unnatural to me
Her mother bought an oar for her
Her father built a boat
She taught herself to swim
And soon knew how to float
Before she left that morning
A lady on the street
Told us a story
Of a man we’d never meet
He’d set sail much too early
And landed in a storm
Only wishing he were home again
With his family
Safe and warm
The black salt water swallowed him
And spat him out
And then
It led him to the bitterness
That led him to his end
That poor grief-stricken woman
She cried out to us and prayed
“If only I held him back”
“If only he had stayed”
Before she turned and left us there
My sister she embraced
And for the briefest moment
Pale sunlight bathed her face
Her step seemed so much lighter
Rain clouds parted above
She whispered
“No one in this unfair world
Can ever outgrow love”
With that small truth
She slipped away
And the winds that blew
Grew cold
I knew just then I’d not forget
The tale I’ve been told
As I stood there in the numbness
Of my sorrow and shock
I turned to my sister
Walking
Heading for the dock
I had no way of stopping her
And yet
I did not cry
Remember, she had told me
That it was her time to fly
I call to her “I love you!”
In hopes that she can hear
And as I promised just that morning
I would not shed a tear
But currents pulled her farther
I confess I was afraid
I found it became harder
To keep up my vow that I had made
Here I am, still waiting
A lost girl on the beach
Still wondering if that widow
Had more wisdom she could teach
It seems I wait forever
For Jasmine to return
Hoping that her mind’s bright fire
Will never cease to burn
With each tide coming in
And each future tide to be
There comes a spark from deep inside
That I wish that she could see
And I anticipate the day
She reads my writing in the sand
Excited for the second
I, again
Shall hold her hand
I’ll tell here that I sing for her
With water’s steady motion
That I will send my heart to her
To help her
Across this ocean