Ocean Restoration
written by: Kelli J Gavin
@KelliJGavin
The only hit I have ever welcomed was the slap of a wave
First, my ankles and then my thighs
Shocked by the coolness yet I welcome it again and again
When my waist is consumed and I gasp in delight
Even when I stumble back a step and lose my footing
I want more and relax as I go even deeper
The salt kisses my skin and the sun sparkles on each crest
I laugh freely as my neck is plunged into the darkness
As I begin to float and let each push plummet me closer to shore
I formulate a plan to return to the ocean
And back to the water I go
My body has become tolerant of all that assails
I pray my heart can handle the impact
That my thick skin somehow protects
The broken pieces of my heart that was once whole
Because the joy I feel in the depths
Exhilarates and mends and restores
The only hit I have ever welcomed was the slap of a wave
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Two years ago, after returning from an ocean vacation, I spoke with a friend about the restorative qualities of which I believed the ocean possessed. How it could quite possibly be a cure for anything that ails. She paused and then asked me, “Do you think it can mend my broken heart over my marriage that is falling apart?” I didn’t know that my friend was struggling in her marriage and she went on to explain that there had been physical abuse. It broke my heart to hear her speak of everything she has experienced in silence. I wrote this piece in honor of her.
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