Rhythm of the Tide

Rhythm of the Tide

 

There are places, like the Goose Cove Causeway, where

the tide rushes into the cove, sounding like a

marathon runner sucking air during the

last kick before reaching the finish line.

 

The water foams and the buoys bend and the

tidal current rips under the bridge with just

a brief pause at slack to catch its breath before

reversing direction and roaring out.

 

Viewing the tide at such places can be

exhilarating and fascinating, but

I prefer to do my tide watching at the

calm pools and rivulets of Jones Creek.

 

In peaceful weather, through the afternoon into

the evening, I stand there listening to the

serene, quiet breath of the earth as the pool

gently rises and falls – a giant liquid Buddha.

 

It’s easy, in times such as those, to become

part of the pool, like the mist that sometimes forms

on the surface on a cool, still evening and

stays attached as the breath goes in and out.

 

My body is the body of the earth;

the rhythm of the tide governs my breath and the

flow of the creek, pumped by the heart of the ocean,

nourishes me and cleanses me.

 

I will stare, listen and I will breathe with the tide

and receive renewed life blood from its flow

and be one with this wondrous world until

the tide runs no more and the creek  is finally dry.

 

Marty Luster