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 the history
But he knew that the place
He was seeking
Was not here on earth
But in Heaven