I have studied many times
the marble which was chiseled for me
a boat with a furled sail at rest in the
harbor
in truth it pictures not my
destination
but my life
for love was offered me, and I shrank from its
disillusionment
sorrow knocked at my door, but I was
afraid
ambition called to me, but I dreaded the
chances
yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my
life
and now I know that we must lift the
sail
and catch the winds of destiny
wherever they drive the boat
to put meaning in one’s life may end in
madness
but life without meaning is the
torture
of restlessness and vague desire–
it is a boat longing for the sea and yet
afraid
–Edgar Lee Masters
