Moving Ever Forward

On the 13^th of March, in the Chesapeake Bay,
Just exactly what happened, I really can’t say,
But a ship that was traveling south from B-more,
Took a turn and got stuck in the Bay’s muddy floor.
It was 18 feet deep, and that boat was quite trapped,
Through pushing and pulling, in the silt it stayed wrapped.
The container ship sat in its newly found home,
As its name—Ever Forward—brought a laugh and a groan.

For so many long weeks, the misnamed ship stayed stuck,
As the people involved cursed their terrible luck.
But just days ago, knowing that high tide was nigh,
A plan formed to help move the ship toward the sky,
And with cranes and hard workers, the containers they’d lift,
So that maybe, just maybe, the boat’s weight would shift,
And once lightened, perhaps, they could break the craft free,
So that the boat, Ever Forward, could move through the sea.

For nine days, the containers were lifted away,
More than 500 moved while the vessel did stay.
And on a bright Easter Sunday, ’neath the fresh morning sun,
A tugboat-barge team at long last the game won.
Ever Forward broke loose from its spot in the mud,
No longer to sit in the Bay like a dud,
But instead to begin a new journey at last,
And to write the next chapter, move on from the past.
For 35 days, that huge ship remained stuck,
Deep in the mud and the silt and the muck.
On a fresh Easter morning, resurrection arrived,
A new leg of the journey for this ship revived.

There’s a lesson for each of us in this fresh start,
As we move forth from Lent, with new spirit and heart.
We can leave behind habits in which we were caught,
And move ever forward in action and thought.
With hope and with joy and with Love as our guide,
May our faith be renewed in this great Eastertide.

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