Doldrums (Poetry)

DOLDRUMS

I’ve reached out for something solid
yet found nothing that is real
I’ve searched for some rhyme or reason
to explain the way I feel

I drift like a boat untethered
from its mooring and the tide
tugged me out into strange waters
with no stars to be my guide

and no wind to fill the main sail
so it hangs its gloomy shroud
fickle currents curl and dither
and I curse my fate aloud

There are ghost ships in the morning
and they haunt emotion’s reef
there are sharks that chew on heartache
and such pain’s beyond belief

as I search the dim horizon
raw distress sends up a flare
but it’s vast — this sea uncharted
when no marker points to where

becalmed I sleep long hours
and I dream a stronger hand
might one day save me from life’s rocks
and steer me back to land