07 June 2017

Midsummer at the Jersey Shore




It’s been so long, I try to rush but can’t.
My calves play “push and pull” with sand-soft ground
while soles thicken against each grain’s sharp edge.

The ocean wants me, too, enough to salt
my arms before I reach her moistened slip—
I smell and taste her as I lick an itch,

both hands too full of leisure things to scratch.
Already I breathe with the billowing
skirts of ocean twirling along the shore.

And I haven’t yet felt her cold and wet
between my toes, haven’t yet dared her catch
me, suck the ground beneath and swallow me.

There she is!  Ocean’s playing catch with Earth,
tossing both live and dead beings, mixing
them up with plastic and sea glass and foam.

I place my bags above the high tide line
and bow to both  before marking my space
with blanket and books and water bottle.

Ocean and Earth and Sky intersect where
I ambetween, among and inside them
lining up bottle caps and sparkling stones.

Midsummer meeting needs no fire or drums.
Its mystery predates evil: To stay
in relationship no matter what comes.


*© 1972, Z Budapest





My blog poems are rough drafts.   
Please respect my copyright. 
© 2017 Susan L. Chast


20 comments:

  1. Whata mixture of then and now with the childish joy greeting the sea and the sad reflection of trash heaps the oceans have become. Yet despite that there is the hope the hurt will pass and somehow we trust that all will well in the end. I certainly hope so Susan.

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  2. Such a meditative moment..meeting of feet and sand and sea..one feels humbled and one feels immense all at the same time.

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  3. Oh Susan, this is such a huge, huge canvas including time and space....wow!!!!

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  4. "Ocean and Earth and Sky intersect where
    I am—between, among and inside them—" Wow! How beautiful it is to experience this feeling! Your poem makes me want to run to the nearby ocean. Beautiful

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  5. Ocean and Earth and Sky, God, and a peaceful heart. One needs little more.

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  6. On the one hand reflecting the peace and joy of an afternoon at the beach, and on the other commenting on man's abuse of our oceans.

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  7. I, too, long for those days, now behind me, but for memory,

    Elizabeth

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  8. A balanced mis of awe and reverence, luv this

    Happy Wednesday Susan

    much love...

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  9. Rejoicing and becoming one with the balance... Simply beautiful

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  10. Great poem. I like how the ocean is personified.

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  11. Loved this....kind of free and happy feeling...!

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  12. I particularly loved those sparkling stones - a fine place to sit though such a shame we litter the ocean and shore with our waste

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  13. "I am—between, among and inside them—": Ah! The connection between being and nature is so strong in that line.
    Such a mesmerizing picture of this beauty and its myriad wonders. The ocean is alluring indeed, as is your written word.
    -HA

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  14. I feel the strong connection you feel with the ocean here...a profound meditative experience.

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  15. Love this one Susan, I was right there with you, on a summer's day.

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  16. A beautiful capture, Susan. Abundance and solitude found where 'Ocean and Earth and Sky intersect' is almost tangible.

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  17. Oh, I feel blessed in vacations like this....i could feel the sea breeze blowing on your face. Feel the salt tickling your skin. Beautiful poem, Susan. Contemplating by the water, honestly feeds the soul.... :)

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  18. The ocean is always magnificent. Everyone feels happy at the beach.

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