The crow’s nest rises high above the deck;
I stand there with a spyglass in my hands
To spot the shoals and reefs where I might wreck
And seek out strange and undiscovered lands.
I turn around and look behind the mast
To scan my wake for where I’ve gone astray:
The treasures I’ve missed out on in the past,
Mistakes with heavy costs I’ve had to pay.
But then I climb back down and take the wheel;
I haul the ropes and set the heaving sails
To take me to those places I revealed
And dodge the stormy seas with blowing gales.
The future and the past have much to give
But here and now is where I have to live.