[ Home ] [Photo Albums] [Journal] [Sunz Sayings] [Sun Spots] [Email Links] Sea Worthy Metaphor In the shipping lanes of Lake Superior, the waves rise in seemingly endless spouts toward the sky with a feary known to only a handful of courageous men and women but rarely to a child. In those lanes, in the bastness of a lake that has often been touted by the greatest captains as having a personality of its own, a rage within so vial that seldom a man would come away having challenged it, but even so, there rides atop whitecaps a huge tanker making its way to some unknown destination, yet very destined. The ship is stable and fearless. With steel bones, belly, and deck, it would easily cause even the most learned to question its seaworthiness, yet it is. Through the years, it has seen the changes on land, and to some extent the changes at sea, but it has never failed its journey through storms and gales, nor across sandy bottoms and rocks. It was conceived with forethought and honed with care. Its plans addressed every obstacle that might occur, every problem that might arise, and every trick that nature may bestow upon it.   It is mighty. It is seaworthy.   Great men and women splash champagne upon its bow to celebrate its entry into the fleet. The little boats that line its sides are smaller, but greater, for they alone could mean life or death for the crew.   Through the years, it carries many loads from one port of safety to another, battling Superior between the two. Seasoned by its trials, celebrated for its victories, it knows both calm and fierce seas. Through it all, it remains sea worthy.   Nearing 60 years of service, the once infallible tanker ship is retired from its shipping duty into another life journey... yet it remains strong and it remains sea worthy.   For twenty years it takes its load from one port to another, but now the load is happy people, joyous people, people looking to have fun, see new adventures, find new horizons.   Over the next five years its systems begin to fail, one after another. Parts that may be replaced are changed out. Boosters put in place where they may be added. The ship slows. On occasion, it forgets its course. Trips extend for days that were once mere hours. And the passengers choose another liner. Yet the mighty ship still sails its committed route, port to port. Four life boats line its edges.   One day, all systems shut down. Mechanics scurry to restore main support systems. And the greatest tanker resumes, its engines engage, but many of its main systems must be overridden and ancillary systems implemented. The call comes; decisions must be made: fix or fail... too many systems have gone awry, too many failed. And the ship is set free, free of all bindings, free of all pumps, free to float out to sea.   Days pass. The lights fail leaving the ship in total darkness. The hydro systems fail leaving the ship without mobility. Its battery falters leaving it inaudible. It can no longer push the fuels through its lines as rapidly as needed. Then its pumps give out leaving it to sink... slowly it sinks to bottom of the sea where it will rest out of sight, out of touch, out of reach.   The only remains are its lifeboats, which stood aside, unable to lift the huge ship, unable to help, watching, watching and waiting for the end to come. And it does. The end of the bow is the last visible site, but it, too, soon sinks below the surface being sucked to the bottom. Gone.   Style & Prose - Metaphoric Photo Album Quick Links [Mom & Dad] [Brother Bob] [Bertie] [Donna] [Butchie] [Jodi] [Bobby] [Julie] [Sharyl] [Danny] [Dale] [Mike] [Michelle] [Nick] [Melissa] [Victoria]