Theseus’ ship
Changes, plank by plank
Rope by rope
So softly
Subtly
You can scarcely notice
The change
But it has changed
And there is no going back
To the old boat
On the day she was built
That ship sailed
For the last time
On the first voyage
From the harbor
So too her sailors
Every port, every wave
Shines light on new truths
The same bodies return
Strangers in opinion and mind
So too the ocean
Water droplets touch and part
Are drunk by fish, filtered through seaweed
Ascend as vapor to the clouds
Never the same sea twice
Or the same boat
Or the same person
It’s a wonder
We recognize anything at all
