Boldly

On that morning

after the first thunderstorm

when the wind was still warm and moist and gusty

and the waves blew in boisterous cross directions,

light gray-green, hazy and salty

I had no fear

of the caution-warning voices,

no fear of surf crash or riptide

or the blanket enjoinment

against swimming alone

I knew when I got down the beach a ways,

I would go in boldly,

running down to the place

where the round stones tumbled

and I could dive through the turbulence

into the calm

so I could bob in the delightful coolness,

up and down with the waves

I felt so surely my belonging

in the elemental lustiness,

in the dance of water,

in the spray of salt,

that I didn’t know what could possibly

convince me to come out

Till suddenly it was time

to ride a wave

and find my foothold in the flowing sand

and step out while strong water

grabbed at my legs,

dig my toes in,

climb out into the morning wind.

©Wendy Mulhern

August 1, 2016