Pearl of Great Price
I hired a ship to take a trip,
Over stormy ocean;
I shielded my eye from a stormy sky,
And the boat's constant motion.
There was a diving suit, a map to read,
And travels we had to sail;
So we left the shore as we leaned on the oar,
And held on to the rail.
The trip was long the sea was rough,
Our destiny was fate;
Day was drear as the place drew near,
For the hour was growing late.
The sky grew dark and wind came up,
To catch the fragile sail;
So we held on tight as the coming night,
Brought darkness to prevail.
Welowered the sail, prepared to stop,
So we could rest in sleep;
But the boat would rock, the wind would mock,
Waves that plied the deep.
We never slept but always kept,
Our hopes the boat would hold;
We fought the storm till the rays of morn,
Brought calm to waters cold.
Morning light bade goodbye to night,
And day dawned bright and clear,
So we sailed along to a sailor’s song,
As providence drew near.
At last we came to the place we claim,
That tattered sail unfurls;
We prepared to strive for a cold deep dive,
To look for precious pearls.
We were set to dive in waters dark,
Down to the oyster bed;
Where fishes float and grey sharks gloat,
And hearts are filled with dread.
We filled the net and strived to set,
A time to heed the call,
And shells we reaped were gently heaped,
In a net to carry all.
After many dives we came up alive,
And dumped our shells with pleasure.
Anxious to see if adversity,
Would give a royal treasure.
I picked a shell that was one of the last,
And opened it with haste;
It was covered with moss and seemed a loss,
But the pearl I saw was chaste.
As I gazed with surprise not trusting my eyes,
At something I’d never seen;
It glowed like a light, like a star in the night,
Infused with moonlit sheen.
Its splendor was lovely, perfect and round,
No fault was there to see;
This was the pearl of great price I found,
Sought in epiphany.
Copyright © Elizabeth Wesley | Year Posted 2011
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment