I
A sailor on a yacht
upon the wide ocean
sets the sails,
trims the ropes
and watches the wind,
the sky, sun, waves and sea
and stars at night
and sets the course
and instruments give signs
of location and direction
to final destiny
and temperature and strength
of waves and wind
indicate whether waters calm or storm appears.
II
Cause and effect
changes the way
that life goes
and destiny blows the winds,
sets the sky,
to be clear
or for catastrophe
causes the waves
to be small or crushing huge
effects the way that life goes
and in reality there’s no way
at times to read the signs
to be able to know
to where to set the course.
III
l’Envoi
People live and die,
are glad and cry,
experience joy and pain,
are totally empty and fulfilled
and life comes in patches
like stains etched on glass
while the pulse of time keeps beating on
and some wish for a new tomorrow,
others want to have more,
some are forever poor,
others born rich
and most of us are conditioned
to accept second best
as the only possibility.
Gert Strydom
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/life-2-11/
