Poem: The Deep
Give me the deep
for I am comfortable in
the pool of my own darkness
It no longer frightens me
•
Give me the jagged mountains
the sheer cliffs
the danger in knowing
how far there is to fall
•
Give me mouths of caves
that swallow the sun
and the farthest of far-off places
Let my footprint be one of few
I am not afraid
•
Give me the bellies of jungles
the damp of forest floors
the heady, sweaty
intimate scent of the earth
I know her like a lover
•
Give me your blood
it is richer than the salt
on your skin
and I cannot know you deeply
until I know
what lies within
•
Give me the ocean
and everything that lurks below
and the fury of the waves
when the trade winds blow
give me a boat that rocks and sways
so I may remember the magnitude
of something as simple
as being okay
•
Give me the deep
I have no patience for
shallow waters
and no interest in the small talk
I want to dive in
carve right to the heart
I want to lay my struggles bare
split them open and display their meat
these are the guts of growth
•
Just like the mighty redwood
I am rooted in the deep
nourished by the fruit
of my own failure
and the seeds of my grief
and the places where
the light can’t reach
•
Take your blue skies and butterflies
and give me the deep
the anger in the clouds
the breaking branches
the lost sleep
for the calm may feel like peace
but it is only in the storm
where I know I am free
