I lived from experience

I learned to be true

to thine ownself...my Father knew

I learned to solve problems

in case I fell in...overboard again

or some other childhood fantasy

I learned to change the world

girls weren't supposed to...as I followed his lead

girls behind mothers..I learned to succeed...

In my mind on the ocean where no one listened

across the Atlantic as ancient Greece glistened

like explorers of old, seafarers bold

I learned from experience

to imagine my life

                            possibilities

                                                reflections

and to choose my directions

I learned pleasures of travel

taste of my fear

salt on my skin, when no one was there

I learned to accept, the path I was going

and where I had been

I learned of my confidence

deep inside dreams

the sun overhead and the sea so serene.