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I Don't Know How To Be An Ocean, She Said

"I don’t know how to be an ocean,” she said.

To become an ocean,
Don't drown in yourself.
Reflect the sky, as above.

Feel the pitch black of night
And the torches of stars, the only guides
Until morning.

Welcome those who would tread,
And the urchins, and feel the trash islands
Press you down.

Press back, harder.

Know the temporary.
Be a receiver of boats, of
Ships passing in the night.

Don't let high tide
Have any more strength than low tide.
It's all part of the process.

When the rage surges through your waves,
Know the stillness that once caught you
Breathless at the shore.

“I don’t know how to be an ocean,” she said.

Don’t hold back. Overflow, and
Recede when you’re ready. But go ahead,
Taste saline.

And feel the wind against your back.
Know you can be destructive, a force of unpredictability,
And also the peace someone else is looking for.

Do you feel your depth?

There are pieces of you, so below,
no one has ever seen, even you, and there's a lot
Left to explore.

Do you hear the song of the sea?
And are you singing yet?
If you want to be an ocean,

Crash your waves against my shore,
Powerfully. Openly.
There’s never too much love.

Feel your strength. Do you
Feel my strength? Because sometimes,
You seem not to notice the rivers pouring in.

Sometimes it just seems like a lot of water, after all.
Or maybe you can be a home
For thousands of beings.

Things will get lost in you, every so often.
Someone loses their keys, their virginity,
Their way. Others will find it.

They'll spend hours
Scaling the sea foam in the warm sun,
And you could inspire them to wonder.

Can you be a force of wonder?

“I don’t know how to be an ocean,” she said.

Can you be…

I’m only human.

You could be an ocean.

Sit still, until the winds of change
Move you. And when they settle, be that serenity,
Just in time for sunset.

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