Have I mentioned that Virginia ladies can write? Sandra Forte-Nickenig’s poem My Purple Passion appeared here as part of Contributor Series 8: Feast and Famine. It made us laugh. Today’s poem is every bit as good even if it isn’t comedic.
The Red Sea Crossing
By Sandra Forte-Nickenig
When Moses and his people crossed
The Red Sea they were never the same
And the sea had changed as well.
But aren’t people still people
Even if they’re no longer slaves?
And doesn’t the sea still splash on to
Israel, Egypt, and Jordan?
I’ve had Red Sea crossings without
Aid of Moses, map, or compass
When my ocean drifted apart
And at times when nothing fluid
Came to pass except cascading
Turbulence almost drowned me.
The question remains who am I
If I am no longer a slave?
Or an even bigger question
Do I really want to be free
With so many possibilities
So many commandments
And the apprehension of the
Red Sea closing in on me
Before I reach the other side?
Isn’t parting oceans risky?
Is that the reason why I might
Freely choose to remain a slave
And slowly row my way through life?
Oh, Sandra!
What a question you pose: is freedom, though prized, even more difficult than being lashed securely into slavery with all of its horrors?
Of course, freedom is dear, but so hard with the responsibilities for oneself which press in from all sides.
As with all of your work this poem is glorious.
Sandy, I got caught up in the visualization and description of this journey.
This poem gives us something to think about.
I like that.
Great metaphor.