Inside The Hearts' Walls

Of Sky and Sea


I could lay no longer in my temporary home of canvas,
Straining
To hear the chorus of
Songbirds
Under the squawk of the giant crow
Standing guard over our campsite.

I felt in the morning darkness for my sneakers and
Sweatshirt,
And I made my escape,
Finding
It miraculous that the others weren’t awakened
By the noisy zippered door.

I followed the path to the beach, my steps quick and
Eager
To greet the horizon at dawn,
Eager
To leave a fresh set of footprints
Upon the virgin sand.

I climbed the rocks to gaze into pools that just last
Night
Were covered by salty surf,
Pondering
Ebb and flow more than the creatures it left behind.

Something called me on to higher ground, where the incoming
Tide
Pounded the rock beneath me,
Sending
Its spray up to touch my face.

I stood alone, yet far from loneliness, with
Sky
And sea and thought so
Vast
They overwhelmed me. I belonged there,
In that moment.

I carry that place with me, visiting it often in my
Mind.
When the world crowds in and suddenly seems too
Small,
I remember sea and sky, and endless thought.

Where I am alone and not afraid.
Where I stand tall in the face of vastness,
And I am happy.

-rk