MUSIC TO ACCOMPANY THE READING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoqbN-G_i4U&t=501s
MY VIEW OF THE SEA
By Jessica Mulder (20 September 2017)
Waves. Rolling, thrashing, crashing,
Tumbling, Pushing, Almost on top of each other.
Short plains of calm
Between foaming swirls of running white.
Churning noise yet so soothing.
Listening. Wave on wave.
Ocean water, hurling itself against rocky coast
Overwhelms the outcroppings in its path.
What creates my fascination?
My sense of peace in the middle of this crashing chaos?
Yet so orderly, regular timing between waves.
Never quite catching each other,
Until all join on shore.
Alternately taking and giving to the collection
Of sand, shell, and stone.
These tumbling, crashing, thrashing mountains of water.
Mix of unpredictable and constant.
Pushing and Pulling,
Embracing, then Propelling in the opposite direction.
Submerged, then popping again into the light.
Light reflected, expanding upward.
Water mirroring sun bursts
Or somber under darkening skies.
Tinted green and blue,
Flecked with grey and brown,
And colors not in the rainbow.
Capable of its own mini rainbows,
As spray shoots upward in the wind.
Wind. Bringing the tantalizing scent of salt & sand,
And some essence of the sea itself.
Swimmer. Tumbled and washed-over by waves;
A welcomed hug of wetness.
The exhilarating freedom of play-battling the tide,
Of surmounting each wave in turn.
The delight of every age.
All cares releasing.
Bathing in the moment of these welcomed friends from the sea.
Smooth sand to sooth tired feet.
Cold water contrasting with hot sun.
Refreshing body & soul
With its rejuvenating coolness.
Creates a pleasing fatigue:
In, under, over, and on these mighty, moving pinnacles.
Swimmer. Catapulting over,
Slipping under, sweeping between
Arcs of agua.
Waves and I trading places,
As we pass by one another,
A profound safety in their midst.
In the middle of fierce strength,
A song, a lullaby of continual sound.
It’s waters an enveloping blanket.
A glimpse of the first creation.
A taste of heaven.
A beauty unmarred.
My place to let go,
To bask in the moment.
Waves washing away worries.
Heart filling with fresh awe and wonder for their Maker.
Endless vista of wide expanse.
A weighty concept is eternity.
Here I grasp a small sliver
Of the concept of time going on and on.
Not a thought to be dreaded,
Instead embraced.
For He that formed unmeasured oceans
Invites me to an eternity with Him.
El Mar. Too big to tame.
Uncontrollable by any who swim upon her.
Yet controlled by He who gazes down from on High.
Waves. Cresting and falling,
Kissing the land,
Washing pebbles and making them smooth.
Are we not all pebbles rolling about
On the coastline of life?
Yet not a helpless existence,
For the Creator hears each cry,
Reaches down,
Takes up pebbles as friends to be treasured.
Washed by Him, to glisten with New Life.
The smashing waves can but refine,
For both water and rocks are in the Master’s hands.
God – I – and the Sea.
Alone together.
Drawn away from the ordinary,
Into an extraordinary, joyful experience.
The Ocean. Where I am at home.