“Words of the Water” by Shelly Smithson
A fleet of waves skims along the bay
making for shore in unison
goldlit by the fingers of nectarine
fanning out
across a fearless sky at dusk
the rush of sound
silences even the seagulls
crests of white foam churn under
as the shoreline draws near
Perhaps this is perfection
this breathless coda to the day
wrapped in the crepe of sunset
I cannot breathe into this beauty
without also feeling an undertow
so I listen to the song of the water
let it wash over me
its rhythm a heartbeat that knows no end
and my queries about the edges of life
(knowing there will come a time
when I can no longer see this waterscape)
spread their wings
to the chorus of the waves
And the water tells me
Your water is my water
my water is your water
my flow is outside of time
you came from the before
and to the before you will return
into the fold of wave after wave
that will hold you always
in the cradle of my current
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Shelly Smithson Artist Statement:
I work creatively in whatever endeavor I apply myself to with passion–whether to my loving my family and friends, working in my psychotherapy practice with dear clients or writing poetry in my free time as I ponder emotions, life experiences and questions I ask that have no answers. I call myself an empathic woman and do not have one word that seems to fit different paths I am on at different times.
My writing is a place I go, like a path in the woods, that allows me to hear my breathing, connect with sensitivities, memories, longings, fears and nightmares that need the open air to express themselves and find a place outside of myself to live.
WAVES ALIVE |
