I lose myself in the sea
In the sounds of the waves
Breaking against the rocks
And the subtler susurrus
Of foamy water
Climbing then falling
The shallow sandy shoreline
The tiny boats
I make from the thoughts
I no longer want to have
Recede with the dying waves
To be consumed by the surf
I prepare more
With all the parts of me
I never asked for
Or cannot be rid of
And watch as they glide gently
Into roiling oblivion
I am free
For the duration
Of an ebb tide
Soon enough
The flood comes
The inexorable sea
Returns them all to me
Lost at Sea
Incinerator Rock
Long Beach
Pacific Rim National Park
British Columbia, Canada
Pictures from home, 2022
Pic and a Word Challenge
Last time we were in Transition. This week, let’s get lost at Sea. Or seek something else to inspire you in this photograph of a woman in reflection on Incinerator Rock at Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park, British Columbia, Canada.
The Pic and a Word Challenge is (usually) a weekly creativity prompt offered (also, usually) Mondays.
With each challenge I provide a photograph of mine along with a single word. The challenge? Use the pic and/or word as inspiration to create something — a photograph, a painting, video, prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, longread or just a few words. You are welcome to use these two elements (photograph and word) literally, thematically or metaphorically. If you create both images and words, all the better.
To participate:
- Use any title you like
- Your response can be words and/or images
- You may use my image to illustrate your post, or any images you have created
- Mention that you are responding to the Pic and a Word Challenge
- Add a link to this post in your response
To help us find your response — whether on WordPress, Instagram, Flicker, Tumblr, etc. — you can also:
- Add a comment on this post to announce your response
- Apply the tag/hashtag “Pic and a Word Challenge” or “#picandawordchallenge” to your post
Each week, I’ll list the previous challenge’s responses at the end of the new challenge. I may also share some on my social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc.
The previous challenge was: Transition

The word for last week’s Pic and a Word Challenge #304 was Transition, along with this photograph of a bright, sunny Vancouver skyline taken from the Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo Ferry in British Columbia, Canada.
- Transition, by An Embarrassment of Riches
- Change Improvement Development Adjust Transform Concept, by Ladyleemanila
- Transition, by WoollyMuses
- transition, by Defying Atrophy
- Cycle of Life, by HeavensSunshine
View all the Pic and a Word Challenges, including the current challenge, on the Pic and a Word Challenge tag page.
Happy Creating! ❤