One day
     shuffling remorsefully
     through my past

The Spirit brought me
     to my senses
     via Pete Seger:

"Think in terms of bridges burned
      Think of seasons that must end
      See the rivers rise and fall
      The will rise and fall again
      Everything must have an end
      Like an ocean to a shore
      It's the final famous scene."

"Now the lines have all been read
      and you knew them all by heart
      As you move toward the door
      Here come the hardest part
      Try the handle of the road
      Feeling different, feeling strange
      No this can never be arranged...
      As the light fades from the screen
      Of the famous final scene."

I skipped a line
     "Take it calmly and serene..."
     because in my experience
     bridge-burning
     is not calm and not serene.

"Coming about!"

The sailboater's command
     for changing course...
     called "tacking."

The captain plans it...
     usually
     well in advance.

But when it happens
     it happens
     very fast.

There is often flurry
     and snapping of sails
     as the boat turns.

Empty sails refill
     and a stall is thwarted
     as momentum returns.

And quiet order
     and pulsing power
     goes a new direction.

Just as in life
     when circumstances command—
     "Coming about!"