
Riding Rhythm– At the West End Gallery
I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me–
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire–
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.
–Edgar Lee Masters, George Gray, Spoon River Anthology, 1915
Ah, those last four lines…
I’m not going to say any more this morning. It’s Sunday and we all deserve a break. If there is a common thread here, it’s for you to find if you so choose.
For this Sunday’s song, here’s a longtime favorite from the late Leonard Cohen, Night Comes On.
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