The Ship in the Bottle

The masts were tall; hull long and sleek
Its lines were strong and taught
But the proud ship sat, sails unfurled
In a corked bottle, caught

On his boyhood shelf, above his bed
The bottled tall ship stood
"I'll sail the world someday," he dreamed
As every young boy should

His teenage years came and went
The ship inspired the boy
Of school and sports and cars he dreamed
And still the bottled toy

"Someday I'll sail the world," he pledged
"Steer by star, and sun by day"
But adult responsibilities required
His boyhood dreams delay

College, marriage and a home
The boy was now a man
A boss, a job and taxes
Replaced his boyhood plan

The bottle, on the bookshelf sat
He daydreamed now and then
"Someday a ship's wheel I'll hold
"I'll sail the world; but when?"

A baby child soon graced the home
Then came others, too
To give them what they needed most
He worked as good fathers do

And then one cold and wintry day
Near a warm fire, newly fanned
A gray-haired man sat in a rocking chair
The bottled ship in his hand.

The glass was old and dusty
One could hardly see within it
But the ship inside the bottle glistened
As the first time he had seen it

Like his own sore, aging body, he thought
With the dream inside still bright
A hint of disappointment he felt
Like a chill from the frigid night

For dreams unrealized, a chance to sail
The adventure he had planned
But responsibility to family, his job
Had kept his feet on land

The warm fire died down to coals
The room felt dark and cold
A young girl's whispered voice he heard
As her young hand touched his old

"Hi there, Poppie.  How are you?"
He looked up into her big eyes
"What's that in your hand?" she asked 
He paused, then realized

"Something that meant more than anything else,"
He said, in a voice still strong
"Something I thought was most important--
At least until you all came along."

He set the bottle back on the shelf
She said, "Poppie, I love you."
He pulled her close, and hugged her tight
He smiled, "I love you too."

The white-haired man never went to sea
He may never raise a sail
His ordinary life, the adventure he missed
Will never inspire a tale

But this little girl; his family; his friends
They look to his life as a model
His spirit is strong, his love still glistens
Like the ship inside the bottle.