This is my explanation for my poem. If you prefer to decide for yourself what you think it means, or if you just think my poem is stupid, feel free to skip this section.
In this story, the man in the rowboat is analogous to the soul. The rowboat itself represents the protection of family. The environment is what your heart feels. We all start off feeling at peace with the world, in the calm. We then lose sight of what is to happen as we get a little older and have to decide where to go and what to do, in the shadow. At some point in life, we are dashed upon the rocks of life in a storm of things going on around us, in the storm; for example, being fired, losing a loved one or falling into depression. When we emerge from our struggle, we have lost the safety of our family since we have to fend for ourselves as adults, through the passage of time. Our hearts begin to freeze over so that pain doesn't effect us. Even when we form families of our own, we still fear loss; still fear the storm. So we stay frozen. No matter how hard we try to be at peace again, we just can't. And as we continue to age, we look back at the mistakes we've made, our vices, and feel angry at ourselves for not doing better until we eventually die and our soul fades from our bodies.
This is written from the perspective of someone who has chosen to believe that we do have a soul and that God does exist. Before I trigger over half the Internet, hear me out. If you don't believe the same things I do, then by all means, continue to believe what you believe. I personally have no problem reading the world of others from different worldviews and I would hope at least some people out there would share that open mindedness. So if nothing else, read it for insight into the mind of someone who doesn't think the same way as you. Or for the select few of you who are actually interested, send me a message about what my worldview is; I would be happy to share.
Thank you,
Greg Goheen