The Tsunami
Somehow I am washed ashore.
The sun is beating, and a vision comes to me:
I am told to tell all.
So I tell.
The expected wave knocks me off my feet,
Interrupting whatever endeavors, journeys, or dreams I have attempted.
There is no conviction too strong,
No illusion too powerful
To stop the tsunami from taking me-
I find myself soaking wet on the sand,
With the sounds of waterlogged screams
Traveling deeper into my mind.
I wait awhile, but the water has receded;
I am alive for now.
People call my name from inland,
Asking for my return.
So I return.
Inland, I am distracted
By important duties and noble causes.
I spend my days throwing dice
With empty wineskins at my feet,
Reveling in human hopes…
Until a damning silence falls-
I turn to see the oncoming wave.
And I remember:
The submerged beach offers no relief from the pull of the sea.
The sun has darkened and all sound is gone.
The world disappears from view.
I feel my limbs numb and my brain slow;
I am almost there...
The tsunami will come again.
I would embrace it with open arms, if only that would bring nobility.
I would run away to live, if only that would bring peace.
I hear the water approaching
For the last time?
The sun is beating, and a vision comes to me:
I am told to tell all.
So I tell.
The expected wave knocks me off my feet,
Interrupting whatever endeavors, journeys, or dreams I have attempted.
There is no conviction too strong,
No illusion too powerful
To stop the tsunami from taking me-
I find myself soaking wet on the sand,
With the sounds of waterlogged screams
Traveling deeper into my mind.
I wait awhile, but the water has receded;
I am alive for now.
People call my name from inland,
Asking for my return.
So I return.
Inland, I am distracted
By important duties and noble causes.
I spend my days throwing dice
With empty wineskins at my feet,
Reveling in human hopes…
Until a damning silence falls-
I turn to see the oncoming wave.
And I remember:
The submerged beach offers no relief from the pull of the sea.
The sun has darkened and all sound is gone.
The world disappears from view.
I feel my limbs numb and my brain slow;
I am almost there...
The tsunami will come again.
I would embrace it with open arms, if only that would bring nobility.
I would run away to live, if only that would bring peace.
I hear the water approaching
For the last time?