thalassophobia

"On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side.' And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?'  He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.  He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?' 41And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'  Mark 4:35-41

yes,
we admit it.

we are afraid.

you might want 

to sail across the

Sea of Polarization

and have us land 

on the far shore where 

everything we cannot

abide is found

you might fall asleep

while we are being 

tossed about by those

mock us because 

our beliefs are so different,

you might rebuke 

our fierce anger just

as we are about 

to lash out at another,

whispering 'peace'

in our hard-to-hear souls.

so

give us that faith

which will allow us

to get into the boat

with you this day

despite our fears.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman