Ocean and Light
Some say life is an ocean:
Succumbing to the tides of change,
Floods of excess, and
Droughts by deprivation
It is always in motion ,
A vast body always changing shape
And shifting the sands, itself
Pushed and pulled by cosmic forces;
It is both nurturing and destructive,
It is cause and effect together;
It can carry us away
Opening passage to freedom
Or, swallowing us up.
It is the arms of refuge and the fist of storm,
Life sustaining and life extinguishing,
Inspiring both fear and solace.
Life is light, too.
Twilight brings peace in the neutral space
Between the dramatic glare of the sun
And the secret smoldering of the night.
Tonight, the water is calm and mysterious;
Together we fall into respite.
Headlights catch a glimpse
Of humility bared and nerve exposed—
Questions rise and float about the shore
So our words say very little
While the evening air speaks volumes.
Concealed by the cloak of darkness
And awaiting the morrow,
Here we stand safe upon the shore,
Feet on the ground but eager to swim,
Sharing the stillness in a moment’s
Panoramic view of a detail,
Conscious of the essential.
By Barbara Waldern
Masan, 2008