The surf
The gulls
The sand
The wind
The sky
The emptiness of a beyond
Reaching further
Than the distant horizon
But there is no such sea here
So when I want the sea
I draw a slow, very deep
Breath in
Close my eyes
And release
Slowly
The breath
And my presence
Here
Now
Release my presence
Begin to breathe deeply
I listen for the waves
And hear them
In time with my breath
I listen for the gulls
And hear them
My thoughts glide away on their wing
I scrunch my toes in the sand beneath my feet
And feel it between them
Grounded, solid as the Earth
I open my chest to the wind
And it washes over my body
Filling my lungs, my being with life
I raise myself up to the sky
And bask in the warm sunlight
It feeds the light within
I am transported there
To the shore of the sea
I release
All that is not this moment
Let it take wing
Like the gulls
Watch this flock of attachments
Fly beyond the distant horizon
Then disappear behind it
I sit here
With the sea
With the emptiness
In the emptiness
There are only the waves
Which are my breath
Oregon Coast Highway
Oregon, United States of America
Taken during travels, 2020
Since I am presently in quarantine for another 11 days, and there will be likely little else to do for the rest of the month but write poetry, this year I’m going to double-down on the challenge, attempting to write two poems every day.
Wish me luck!
And stay safe out there.
Stay home. Wash your hands. And write poetry!