Waves- A Poem, By Alexia Jasmene

Waves

By: Alexia Jasmene

Calm air, 

Cool breeze, 

The gentle sound of the water meeting the shore,

Not a cloud in sight.

Sky as beautiful as a mother’s love,

Sun shining as bright as hope,

The water as blue as tranquility itself.

In that tranquil space,

Floating,

Waiting,

Being.

Ready to catch a wave with your clear intent,

Learning to expertly ride each wave with the nuance of a master cellist,

Feeling each pulse match with the beat of your heart and soul

Being present and truly free.

But then your footing slips,

You wipe out, crash and burn,

Getting drug into the undertow wondering if you’ll drown,

But you calm your minds eye and know the wave will pass,

You get back on your board and calmly float until the next wave,

Patient,

Present,

Open.

Then suddenly the sky grows dark,

Thunder clouds begin to crash,

And your resolve begins to dissolve. 

The water begins to rise at an exponential rate,

Becoming a wall of death that strikes terror into your marrow.

You frantically paddle to ride this impossible wave,

Desperately trying to breathe and hold onto hope,

Riding the wave for a moment, then two, then three,

And then you falter and are consumed by terror.

Your world goes dark and cold,

Void of up or down, left or right, the feeling of hopelessness begins to creep,

But you fight to make it for air,

The storm is fierce but somehow you find your board and ride the next wave that occurs.

Eventually you get crushed by the wave,

And then again.

And again.

And again,

And again,

And again, 

And again,

Until you begin to drown,

The water like icy daggers in your lungs,

Hope faint from your battered soul,

Wondering if this is it…

Then terror,

Then shame,

Then anger,

Then sadness,

Then numb,

And you let go,

Floating to the surface,

Your soul still tethered to the board.

Your lungs cough the brine of death and life from their coffin,

As the sky begins to clear and the waves begin to calm.

You hold onto your board, feeling like the luckiest to still be alive,

Dumbfounded by the awesome waves and your ability to survive and get consumed.

Then there a little laugh.

And then it grows and grows and grows,

Until humor helps to restore you once more.

So you get back on your board, 

And take in the calm,

Ready for the waves.