Undiscovered

I

No more foreign, wine-dark oceans left to sail,

No more uncharted waters, nor strange lands left,

No more mystery in tempestuous gales,

Those who would explore, in modern times; bereft.

Once, before the world was known, adventure: hail!

Technology has made intangible theft,

The joy of the unknown, adventure promised-

Subdued, mapped out, though all the longings persist.

II

Oh, to be a Viking on churning north seas!

Or one of the Argonauts, in times of old,

Sailing far with Jason in search of the fleece,

Or an Arctic explorer, in places cold,

Choosing joy-lashed hardships, in the place of ease,

Knowing, for all time, your story will be told,

Escaping the mundanities of their lives,

Not running from Destiny when she arrives.

III

What was it like when they didn’t know the end?

When the maps didn’t know what lied beyond reach?

What uncertainty they felt when men they’d send-

Not knowing if their loved ones would return, each

Night of moon-sent anxiety, in fear spent.

They let the unexplored its lessons to teach,

Light-unpolluted night sky to sing it’s tales,

Keeping company with all the playful whales.

IV

I don’t even care if it’s romanticized;

I know that the history was less ideal-

And by that I mean blood-soaked, uncivilised,

Even so, I suspect they lived with more zeal-

Google maps and iPhones, I’ve come to despise,

I wish my life sometimes felt a bit surreal,

I hate the fact that Google has each answer;

Mystery once lent our lives increased grandeur.