My father lost his battle with colon cancer on July 4th. He was only diagnosed in March, it took him quickly. My only solace is that he at least did not suffer. He was a strong and proud man. He spent the last 30+ years on the ocean as the captain of the the commercial fishing vessels Marine Star and then the Victoria City. Because he spent so much of his time on the open water of the Pacific Ocean, often between the ports of Alaska and Oahu, I thought of him when I read this poem.


A Grain of Sand by Robert William Service

If starry space no limit knows
And sun succeeds to sun,
There is no reason to suppose
Our earth the only one.
'Mid countless constellations cast
A million worlds may be,
With each a God to bless or blast
And steer to destiny.

Just think! A million gods or so
To guide each vital stream,
With over all to boss the show
A Deity supreme.
Such magnitudes oppress my mind;
From cosmic space it swings;
So ultimately glad to find
Relief in little things.

For look! Within my hollow hand,
While round the earth careens,
I hold a single grain of sand
And wonder what it means.
Ah! If I had the eyes to see,
And brain to understand,
I think Life's mystery might be
Solved in this grain of sand.