So Sail (Two First Drafts)

So natural, yet
so irrational and missing ‘mental’.
So physical, yet
so deeply metaphysical it doesn’t matter.
So sentimental, yet
so detached and secretly personal.
So irresistible, yet
so resisted…without any apparent power.

So not normal.
So?

the heart is a sail

that opens wider than one eye can see

that wavers in uncertain wind

that rebelliously pulls the ship

against all currents and any reason

that fights against any man and all men

yet that collapses into a small space wrapped tightly against itself

and reaches out again to hold as much wind and sky and motion as possible

and strains with the effort

the more silently the greater the effort

until it rips, tearing the vessel in half with its silent force

stranding all aboard

or arrives, serenely and calmly, at its destination

and is stowed

now a mere tool

in the mysteries of navigation