It's Been Too Long
Until I Saw the Sea-
Until I saw the sea
I did not know
that wind
could wrinkle water so.
n
I never knew
that sun
could splinter a whole sea of blue.
p
Nor did I know before,
a sea breathes in and out
upon a shore.
;
---Lilian Moore
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 11:08 PM
4 Comments:
Sorry I haven't visited your blog for a few days. Life is hectic. I like this poem.
I appreciate it when you stop by and when you comment, but I would not want it to be in competition with your life responsibilities.
A bit on why this piece resonated for me: Since I went to Israel to learn at 17 I swore off mixed beaches. When I was a kid I went to the beach a handful of times.
For many many years i didn't go to a beach. A few years a go a friend started inviting me to his beach house. I get up very early in the morning and go again at around sunset when the shore is empty.
I thought I discovered the thrill of walking along the shore and playig chicken with the tide. I was disappointed to learn that everyone knows that game. Still, it's transformative. Walking up and back on the shore is amazing.
I've written about and posted pictures here:
http://rabbifleischmann.blogspot.com/2007/09/four-thousand-words.html
This poem was the result of sitting in the eary morning hours, staring into the sea:
Could I Go On And On?
Hunger gets in the way
of my stomach and of my soul
Longing for G-d and for food
I am choosing between the two
You crash at me and stop
then pull away, turn gentle
Or maybe it's me, walking into you
then turning around as you greet me
Sitting on a jetty at the edge of Ocean City
Thinking my city is always an ocean
I sit perched and yearn from a distance
for that sailboat spot beyond the sand and tide
I am tempted to go back home
where pancakes promise to comfort me
But how can I leave this Mikdash me'at
Why would I leave this heart of G-d?
David broke the news, my thunder
my soul thirsts for my living G-d
G-d hovers over our world
Is it wrong to sense He thirsts for me?
I'm thinking of submitting this for my poetry class.Not sure wat to do with the Hebrew phrases and if the King David line is clear...
Again, Miriam - thanks for reading and commenting.
Love the Moore poem. Except for four years in Illinois, I grew up near the ocean in Mass. and CT. Twice in RI we've lived overlooking bodies of salt water, including our present house where we hope eventually to retire. I am not a good swimmer, but I can't seem to stay away from the ocean.
Thanks Ane. Yes, there's something about the ocean. It's not about swimming. It's about the water and the spirit of G-d that hovers over its face.
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