All at Sea

All at sea.

The cockroaches nest in my head
As the snakes lose their charm
I can’t remember what’s been said
And I saw nothing in my palm

Upstream fights my mood
Downstream go my wishes
If wisdom is to be my food
How do I tempt the fishes

Do I need to be a river
Just to find out where I’ll be
Am I meant to ebb and flow
So I know I’m all at sea

The spiders across my eyes
Build a web to cover my face
I can trap the odd surprise
To stop the day going to waste

The current tears my search
The rapids can’t let me free
Would a holy man drown in church
Just to say we’re all at sea

A night owl seems bemused
As the fox draws a line
A thought lies dusty and unused
A leech sweeps through my mind

I offer a plate of stolen crumbs
It’s my token servile task
Here I stand hot and cold
I should keep me in a flask

Upstream swims my indecision
Downstream carries a broken tree
Am I obsessed with a watery vision
Just to confirm I’m all at sea.

SJ© 2009

For a struggling friend,