Gail and Erika were sitting on a weathered wooden bench on the Plymouth Hoe

Both women were looking out to sea

Thinking of William Bradford

They had not planned to visit Plymouth as they returned from their holiday

But they had received news that an aunt had suffered an injury

So they had both decided to comfort her

Their visit was now over

But their train was not due

 

There was so much tragedy in his life

He should not have believed

But it made him stronger

 

They spend many years in Holland

Undertaking menial tasks

Just to earn a living

But they were free in their worship

 

To think that they left from this very city

It seemed that it was chosen by God

 

They travelled into the winter storms

Not even the foolish would have sailed that day

 

The Mayflower was a working ship

Engaged in commercial activities

It ended its days as a decaying hulk

On the mudflats of the Thames

But it retained its memories of the dead

 

William sought a pure community

But it was never going to exist

Deep down he knew this to be true

 

He recorded the story of the voyage

And of the settlement

So that others might share its history

 

But he knew that the place

He was seeking

Was not here on earth

But in Heaven