O Captain, My Captain!

"O Captain! My Captain!
How much longer for the shore?"
The sun has parched my throat and dried my soul.
Scorching light and heavy heat;
I peer at the world through slits,
I crouch behind white sails and tall barrels,
Not a puff of wind has come offering solace.
"Look Captain!Down There, Sir!
A miniature boat rides on the wave beneath,
No sail, no barrel in sight,
What must they do, aye Sir? "
You nod grim and turn stern,
You speak less now, Sir.
Heedless, I gather your unspoken thoughts,
Minutes turn to hours on deck,
Tossing and turning under the firmament.
But I get it, Sir. Aye, I do!
You thought of my ungratefulness,
"Life is like an ocean, vast and temperamental,"
Your voice from my childhood,
Now haunts over my adolescence,
"We've seen the ocean rage,
We survive because the Lord makes her recede,"
You want my patience and my faith,
So, here I am, again onboard,
The sun and the deck,
Not our graves.

"O Captain, My Captain!
Why do you not hear my call?
From the deck; from outside your chambers,
Now right here beside you?"
You lie cold on your bed today,
Shall I steer back to the Sun?
You eyes look out distant,
Shall I take you to those shores you dream?
My soul lies shrunken within me somewhere;
The colour of the dark,frothy waves below,
You've taken the sun with you, Father!
I'll steer through this darkness,
Grateful and patient,
Till I meet you in the sun again.
"O Captain, My Captain!
How much longer to the sun?"