In my failings, I have left my mark,
Each misstep is a drop in the ocean vast and dark.
Amidst the tales of failures, I bear,
All oceans and seas could be filled, drop by drop,
My record of shortcomings never seems to stop.
I dwell by the sandy shores, the ocean’s waves I adore,
through its vastness, my poetic spirit soars.
The ocean, my dear friend, is always there.
We’re ships on this ocean of feelings so wide,
Tossed by the waves of failures we ride.
Though I love the ocean, a sailor I am not,
I once tried to learn but I couldn’t be taught.
still, we set sail for the winds of fortune’s call,
A twenty-seven-foot Catalina named Blue Moon,
A sailboat adventure that brought failure too soon.
I barely knew how to swim, yet with hope and will,
I embarked on the journey, believing it would instill
in me the way of an adventuring wife and all.
The lessons, needed to build character, as we often say,
To succeed, we must face challenges, come what may.
But oh, how wrong I was, and my dear mate,
Tasked me to handle the rudder, a task too great.
We sailed day after day, that first summer so grand,
As the boom swung wildly, my husband in harm’s way,
Injuries followed a price he had to pay.
Headlong into the wind, I couldn’t steer,
And the jokes I made only made it more clear.
That sailing eluded me, slipping through my hand.
“What’s a sailor’s favorite game?” To my love, I would jest,
“Duck, Duck, Boom,” and my laughter, not his, would crest.
“What was written on the sailor’s tomb?” a somber tone,
“He went out with a boom,” my sense of humor, unknown.
Thankfully, my husband’s love endured, undeterred,
even in failure, we can learn to reframe our view,
A natural part of growth, a path we pursue.
Perhaps a ship on the ocean was not meant to be,
But I gained a treasure more precious, you see.
By failed attempts, my sailing remained absurd.
But I have a story, woven by life’s flow,
And my love for the ocean, it continues to grow.
So, I fail, and I falter, but my spirit stays strong,
Like the ocean’s endless rhythm, a lifelong song.
I ride the waves of life, sometimes seasick from the motion,
But with each failure, I learn and have a story to share
I find my success in the telling of failures laid bare.
And I still love the ocean.