Revelation, by Jo Taylor

Revelation

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to Thee?
I lay my hand on my mouth.” Job 40:4

From the ship’s stern, I hear God’s undulating voice,
See Him in all his majesty and power, in all His creative force, in all His manifold presence
As He stretches out his hand to gather the waters in a heap
To send them forth, willing them to stand fast, to heed their boundaries.
The dark blue waters
Spraying, crescendoing, cresting,
Foaming, frothing, billowing,
Raging.
A reminder that a moment is as fragile as ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­a bubble released from its wand,
That man washes away
Even as he builds fleets to navigate the turbulence and to manifest his own worth.
Yet the waters like crystals,
Entice, calm,
Inviting Leviathan to play there.
Dolphins to cavort,
Man to meditate on The Almighty’s sea-sculpted caves
To consider His wonders, 
The deep to proclaim His glory,
His intent to judge the world.
But man, nestled in his hubris, heeds not Nature’s counsel
Until the waters increase and the light alters and 
The winds lay siege to his certainty.

​Jo Taylor

​Jo Taylor,  a retired English teacher from Georgia, enjoys writing poetry whose main themes are family, faith, and place.  "Revelation" was inspired by a Baltic cruise, by Hurricane Irma, by scripture,  and by a closer look at the American landscape artist, Winslow Homer, particularly his Perils of the Sea, 1881.