UNTETHERED

We are all weighed down by our attachments, unmindful of the fact that we will eventually outlive our usefulness. The end must be dignified and if possible of our own choice.


Blue and frothy, the vast endless sea.
Tiny speck, a kayak floating free.

Only sounds, waves slapping the hull
Chirping and cawing, a distant seagull

Was it so long ago, she was the pride
Waves would part, and let her ride

Mighty oak for the keel and the frame,
Tame the ocean and storms to shame

Cedar wood for the planks so tender
Shapely underside and the bow so slender

She was the fastest, a horse running wild.
They all loved her, she was everyone's child

Seasons change, and many a sunsets pass
No one beats time, you realize Alas !

Childhood to youth, and youth past the prime
Slowly and surely, yet a day at a time

As stories of her conquests turned to folklore
New ones were already lining up on the shore

Faster and stronger, they were daunting to chase
She lagged behind, she ceded her space

A leak here, a crack there, galore abuse
Beaten and bent, spent beyond use

Green moss covered where paint stood proud
Covered her nakedness like a grim shroud

As she rested, I recalled her glory gone by
Why do we all have to age and die

Chop her into pieces, sell the wood for fire
My heart cringed at the thoughts so dire

She lay on the beach, waiting as though
For one last ride, one last furlough

She longed and belonged to the sea
So I untethered her and set her free.