The Ocean
“What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams.” ― Werner Herzog
the ocean is honest.
it does not care where you vacation
or even if you do.
it does not care if your heart is broken
or if it leaps in your chest with joy.
the ocean does not care about
the mansion you have built on
its sands or the one room hut
in which you sleep and fry your fish.
The ocean does not weep at the death of your lover –
it only returns the body to you
wet and sandy and crawling with crabs.
it lets you walk in the waves
and gaze at the reflection of the moon
on its undulating surface.
the ocean nurtures it creatures
yet it crushes them in its grasp.
it takes the love you give it
but it feels nothing in return.
The ocean will gift you one perfect shell –
a sand dollar or a scots bonnet or
a sunrise colored scallop shell.
it lets you sit at its edge
like a lion in a cage that paces back and forth,
daily, watching your every move.
it shows its moods without filters or warnings.
you walk into it until it covers your head
and your feet leave the surface of the sand,
like walking on the moon.
it takes your sacrifice without utterance
and returns your body
wet and sandy and crawling with crabs.
8
kanzen sakura 
Jul 26, 2019 @ 08:57:49
I agree with all save the very last line. Poor dog…
Regardless of my agreement, this is very well written
Jul 26, 2019 @ 11:00:51
Thank you Eric. This is a work in progress. It will be changing, like the ocean. Come back in a couple of days and it will be a little different.
Jul 26, 2019 @ 09:01:30
This is so good. So powerful.
My favorite:
“The ocean does not weep at your drowned dog,
it only returns the body to you”
I would think the ocean would make for an excellent therapist.
Jul 26, 2019 @ 09:04:46
It is
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Jul 26, 2019 @ 11:01:10
This is a work in progress. It will be changing, like the ocean. Come back in a couple of days and it will be a little different.
Jul 26, 2019 @ 22:10:36
Oh my gosh, that ending is brilliant. I’m so glad I came back.
Jul 26, 2019 @ 22:12:42
Thank you. I am glad you came back too.
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Jul 28, 2019 @ 13:11:43
It’s the best gift Nature gives, I think–not caring about what we are or do or want or not, she just is (like the ocean).
Jul 28, 2019 @ 13:14:12
Exactly. Nothing more, nothing less.
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Jul 28, 2019 @ 17:53:08
The whole is so much bigger than we who are mere parts. It is comforting to me for the ocean not to care. I am part of something that continues no matter what assails me. Really nice work.
Jul 28, 2019 @ 20:19:19
I like this. The ocean is indeed honest and not overly sentimental. It does what it does and it does it well. Not worrying about things that are outside of its domain or outside of its control. I enjoyed this greatly.
Jul 28, 2019 @ 20:44:49
Thank you Mary. This is exactly how I grew up with it.
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Jul 28, 2019 @ 20:42:12
Your first line hits with the force of reality. I love the ocean … which doesn’t care that I do. But then, I love that about it as well. You have expressed it all wonderfully here.
Jul 28, 2019 @ 20:45:14
Thank you Rosemary
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Jul 29, 2019 @ 02:58:26
I really liked your poem. We like the ocean as it is restless like us, holds its secrets like us, and is changable like us, but we are mistaken if we think it likes us for it likes nobody but the Moon to pull at it and the wind whipping up its surf and the sand on the shore that it can kiss.
Jul 29, 2019 @ 13:36:03
Have you ever read “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane? It’s about this same theme.
Jul 29, 2019 @ 14:05:00
Nope. I never have.
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