The Bride and the Bridegroom

The Bride and the Bridegroom
(An Allegory)

From a far away land that is called Beyond Here
Came a ship with its sails full of wishes.
The ocean it sailed on was perfectly clear,
For it held neither oysters nor fishes.
The waves rose and fell by the breath of the wind,
Who was rather a turbulent fellow,
And the sailors looked up to the stars through the night
For guidance to counter his bellows.
The stars twinkled bright through the mists and the fogs,
Through the torrents and whirlwinds begotten,
And while the ship sailed on through the mists of the deep,
By the stars it was never forgotten.
There was never a doubt that the ship was a gem
As it bobbed up and down on the ocean,
And to look at the captain, this bright diadem
Was the focus of all his devotion.
"Oh, Captain, my Captain!" the sailors would cry
When the horns of the waves were a blaring,
"There’s no way we’ll make it, this ship’s gone awry,
Can’t you see that it’s lost all its bearings?"


"That it has," said the Captain, who cocked them an eye
That was merry with passion and reason,
"It’s so far off the mark, we will never get home
For the time of the Barley Corn Season."
"But the corn must come in, or we’ll die," cried the crew.
"’Tis the corn we’re about to be eatin’!"
"Then lend me a hand, give me all that you’ve got,
For the next storm will give us a beatin’."
So they cast in their all and they scoured that ship
From the hull to the mizen most mast.
And they lightened their loads and they tightened the hatch,
And they vowed they would not be retreatin’.
For the ship must reach land ‘ere the season of corn
Though the distance to travel was fearful.
They held to the hope that the corn would be there,
And that they would get more than an earful.
Then the storm it blew in with the force of a gale
And the waves came aboard with great lashings
And the clouds, rent in twain, showed the stars turning pale
As they watched that great ship take a thrashing.
But the Captain was firm and his face was as flint
That was lit by a fair bolt of lightning.
And he called to his men to hang on to the rail
And to sing when the tempests grew frightening.
So they clung to the rail and they sang and they prayed
For the strength to endure through the night.
And the sky grew as deep and as dark as a cave
And the stars had all vanished from sight.
Thus the crew floundered on through the mists of the deep
While the monsters of fear grew inside them,
For the demons well knew they were goners for sure
Were it not for their Captain beside them.
Their Cap was a man who was stronger than fear,
And more stern than the waves of the ocean,
And he told them, "Look up!" and they saw what appeared
Like a ship passing by in slow motion.
‘Twas the moon coming forth from the ends of the earth,
But it looked like the ghost of a galleon.
As its oars paddled on through the cloud-laden sky,
They caught glimpses of golden battalions.
How it lifted their hearts as they watched that moon rise
Through the clouds heavy laden with sorrow,
For they knew in their hearts that the clouds of the night
Would give rise to the sun on the morrow.
And the sun did come forth on that billowing sea
Dressed in Capricorn’s radiant splendors,
And before it, in bloom, lay the Isle of Capri
With its harvest of corn sweet and tender.
As the ship drew to land a great rushing was heard
And it sounded like bells at a wedding.
‘Twas an anthem of joy that the ship had come in
And they welcomed it in with confetti.
For the bridegroom was come and the toasts were to him,
An elixir to love’s Serengeti.
And the tears freely flowed as the food of each plate
Showed abundance of peace and of plenty;
For the corn was full ripe and the harvest was great
And the land with reunions were many.
Then a rainbow appeared and it arched from the land
To the ship, where the bride of the wedding
Was awaiting the call of the conch of the sea
To tell her the bridegroom was ready.
And the cry was sent forth and the crowd gave a gasp
As the bride of the morning appeared,
For they saw on the bridge of the bow of that ship,
The Persona of Earth etched in tears.
And it seems that the dawn’s early light had ne’er beamed
On so radiant a visage or carriage,
As she who trod rainbows through mists of delight
On the morn of the day of her marriage.
Then a rush as of wings urged the crowd to be still,
And they knew in the still of that moment,
That the conquest of seas had accomplished earth’s dreams,
Cap had conquered the ends of Atonement.
For the bride, blushing white, was transfigured with light
And her crown, as a urim and thummim,
Mirrored all of her present, her future and past,
As if dreams on the breeze she was strummin’.
Then the marriage took place, and the guests stood amazed
As they witnessed the depth of their stories.
They had each condescended to perilous plights
To attain Paradisiacal Glories.