ALL IN THE SAME BOAT

The man might be the skipper
of the family sailing vessel
and as the small boys grow, they learn
that they can offer muscle,
provide ballast in the wind
while Dad directs the energy
and pulls the main sheet in…
chooses tacts and timing,
navigates the course,
reads the patterns of the wind
focusing his aim
provides the family sustenance,
the slow growth over time.
None can deny
the importance of the skipper,
or the value of the crew
but to assess the worth of woman
needs a current, novel view…
grounded in the truth
and given distance for perspective,
space to view the vessel
can be taken as elective,
though not a prerequisite course
it casts the lines
of bitterness and remorse
and frees the boat from it's mooring…
although she is mentioned last
her role is central
at the mercy of her stays
she is the mast
that holds the sails into the wind,
the gravity, the staying power
that drives the vessel into open sea
she is the emotional balance
of the family's journey.