OCEAN DREAMS

I watch the ocean breathe… Its chest rising with expectation,

Its blue – sparkling gold, flashing pearls of bright white,

For a moment – holding its breath in hopeful anticipation,

Only to fizzle, colorlessly, on

Miles of deserted sand….

Gradually, with the rhythmic motion of its breath

In the warm sun, cradled under

Vast, baby-blue skies,

It lulls itself to sleep…

It dreams… and smiles…

As the sun goes down, the seagulls gather…

They know – the wind is here again, to stir things up

Like a sudden cold draft through a window…

Perched on rocks, they gingerly huddle,

Watching, like concerned folks,

As disturbing visions creep in,

And restlessness swells the blue into murky brown,

As breathing becomes heavier with burden, faster with anxiety,

And the white crest looks more like gnashing than a smile –

The birds stare, concerned, not making a sound,

Waiting for the bad dream to pass and anguish to subside…

Night music and a moonlight bath

Will surely calm it down, till morning,

When the sun’s shift begins…

The sun will once again make it smiling and bright,

Will wrap it with warmth and color,

Will fill it with hope , expectation, delight

Till, once again, it dreams….

If only this nightmare

Doesn’t swell into terror,

Exploding in dark walls

Of white rage…

The last rays of sunlight now tickle its side,

The ocean lies placid again, undisturbed..

Is it dreaming of sandy shores? Is it desiring to stay?

Its pleading little fingers forever clawing at the sand,

As the depth keeps pulling it away

Back to the cold, the wet, the fathomless darkness –

And I think “How lucky I am to be mortal…”

Today – I am here, and then – I’m gone,

On to other worlds, other times, another ”Me”,

And no one can ever hold me back – but me,

Wherever I am – I am free…