They named me Paradise

“A mighty sailing man”
taught me how to steer a boat.
During my eighteenth year
I was the one who steered
his stranded passengers home
in a ship built by a professor
who tinkered for years,
never giving up on
reaching a distant horizon.
My fiery mother was the wind
in my father’s sails
and a bright star who lit
dark nights with her lullabies.
My auntie Mary Ann
taught me how to cook
the finest fish stew out of
next to nothing,
and from my Godfather Gilligan
I learned the joy of laughter,
especially when we stumble.

Thank you for visiting and reading. Although my dad was a boating man and my mom came into this world as a red head, this is not autobiographical. Oh, and I also have an aunt Mary Ann. This post began with my Saturday photos of a solo sailor sailing at Tempe Town Lake, which then led me to searching for the photo of a sailing woman with the intention of writing about sailing your own boat. While pondering the possibilities, including the song Come Sail Away by Styx, my mind drifted to a show I watched as a child and what could have happened if two of the characters had a love child… the rest is history, as they say. Have a great day! Michele

P.S. If you have no idea which show I am referring to, here are two clips:

Pulling Down the Skipper’s Pants | Gilligan’s Biggest Blunders

Gilligan’s Island | Gilligan’s Best Moments | Compilation | Warner Classics

featured black and white photo of woman steering the wheel of a sail boat (Everett Collection) / a note about my lake photos: the lake is manmade and the Superstition Mountains are in the background

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