The Sea and the Sky

The sea was like a goblet set
Upon an altar, green and gold,
And crossed on the horizon’s rim
The marsh of heaven in pale blue.

A whispering breeze upon the lake,
A flash of blue from out the skies,
Like some frail creature broken winged
Caught in the meshes of the glancing waves.

Here time my soul, my joy at rest,
In that great calm of sun-streaked sky;
Here I may find some peace at last,
The sea, the sky, the joy that I

Sought in the foam of words and dreams
But found not on the fierce land’s strand!
Be still my heart—let silence reign—
The sea, the sky, the grassy strand!

• EJ Pratt