In the light where you stand
There are no boundaries
between you and me;
only the white wakes
that mark the course
of wandering seafarers:
lines all too soon erased
by my journeying waves.
My waves dashed and roared
as ashore you built your dreams
of fire and of pain
as at night you sang your songs
of sorrow and of gain.
I am a cradle of waves
for the one who dreams,
a mirror for the one who dives
and sees her own face
reflected in my own.
And my shells sing the stories
of these two faces
and these two lives:
the one who dreams
and the one who dives.
Listen, just listen
to the ocean’s voice
which is the only voice
through which I can speak to you
which is the only voice
through which you can hear me.
Lay your head on my shore
and take your time
take all the time you need
just lay your head on my shore
and hear my waves break
bringing you far stories
with their murmurings.
Let me caress you, calm you
as the soft breathing of my waves
shifts the thin line of foam
from ebb to flow
giving light back to your face.
And the waves break
as the ocean breathes
and my shells speak
of ages past and an age begun
when the light and the mirror
and the dream and the dreamer
are one.
Overview - Underwater Sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor
I read and read and read again and cannot get enough of this poem! I am taking it with me into my dreams tonight!
ReplyDeleteHettienne, your heartfelt response brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, dear friend ♥
DeleteI identify and breathe to the rhythm of the waves ...Thank you for giving a resonance of eternity. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAh, my dear Rajna, you really touch my spirit with your words "I identify and breathe to the rhythm of the waves"... Thank you, sweet friend ♥
Deletebeautiful.. and divine.. the dance.. inside the dancer
ReplyDeleteThe dance inside the dancer... and so it is!
DeleteHugs, dear sistar ♥
Reading this, I can hear it 2 different ways.
ReplyDeleteBoth ways speak to me of 2 very different relationships I have with 2 very different women.
Beautifully written Emma xxoo
Thank you, dear LeeAnne, I am so pleased that you identify so much with my poem... David mentioned to me that he felt that this poem would speak to a female readership because women will readily relate to its femininity.
DeleteSo amazing and beautiful Emma! What a powerful experience...and I felt such deep peacefulness and comfort and emotion while reading your gorgeous poetry...i felt swept away in the energy of your words and feel both movement, stillness and illumination all at once!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!
Victoria
Thank you for such a heartfelt reaction, Victoria. I am so pleased that my poem has given you this sense of peace and comfort, which is what I would wish for my readers.
DeleteDearest Emma "Ocean Murmurs" is absolutely beautiful. Ocean speaks with love, compassion and action....a dialogue with boundaries only made by the boundaries we build ourselves. The trueness between the Dreamer and the Diver....the bond that carries and speaks both through the waters so fluidly until all boundaries disappear and only reflection of faces remain, offering "ages of past & an age begun." I truly appreciate the depth of this poem.
ReplyDeleteHow eloquently and gracefully have you seen into the heart of my poem Ocean Murmurs, touching my own heart. I am truly grateful for your words, dear Deborah.
DeleteEmma, there is no question in my mind that your words take on a special power when you write about the ocean. But here it is more than that, because you are speaking through the ocean's voice. This is more than a special bond; it is transforming, shape-shifting, and magical. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, dear David, for recognising the transformational strength of this particular poem!
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