Set sail, young apprentice.

Secure the sails,
Man the deck,
Bound the hatches.

Set off into open waters.

There will be storms—

Waves that crash down
Upon your tiny vessel
Like the merciless hand of Satan.

You will stand on the deck;

Drenched in cold seawater,
Staring out at the horizon
That never gets any closer.

But you will not quit.

You will let the
Frigid water envelop
You again and again.

You know it is not eternal.

You must be tossed among
The waves like a doll before
You can navigate them.

You will veer off course.

Stand stoically;
Do not utter a
Single word.

Hold on—you’re almost done.