Poetic Moment: The Ocean

What is it about the ocean shore that draws my soul in puzzling kinship?

This body of salt and water, held together thinly, undulating toward the sky’s horizon while stubbornly clinging to lifeless sand.

Sunshine like diamonds bedazzle her sparkling surface, almost evoking the sound of symbols shimmering.

Yet, proving her lack of self-respect, she desperately and repeatedly returns to indifferent ground, reaching over and over again for an enduring bond, but the connection never lasts.

Seeing her restless on the surface, people wonder why she’s constantly searching for something, frequently changing her mind, always busy but accomplishing little.

Because she is a vast enigma, they wonder what mysteries lie under her secretive surface, knowing dangerous terrains and creatures lurk below, since whispers of legends reached their ears from the mouths of bold explorers who narrowly returned with their lives from the watery underworld.

Some come to the ocean for recreation, throwing rocks at her, stealing fish from her safe harbor, riding roughshod over her delicate skin, throwing refuse at her as if she only exists for their convenience.

And yet, she endures. Unapologetically powerful and free, she pushes the boundaries of her borders as far as they will reach, then turns back within, transmuting all things into constant evolution and inner expansion.

She is a magnificent creation, evidence of God’s masterful handiwork, and beloved and admired by virtually everyone she meets.

She is broken but beautiful, and blessed beyond belief.

Ah, no wonder we are such kindred spirits.