Drifting Across The Ocean
Drifting across the ocean
I see you floating in an ocean, moving with the gentle waves, rocked back and forth by the wind like a wood adrift in the waters. The clear liquid seeps into the smooth texture of your skin, and yet you float never sinking, the density of the wood lesser than its surroundings. Your lightness against the heavy weight of the waters makes you hover above its surface. The water touches your edges, wets what’s underneath and yet your centre remains dry, untouched. I see myself floating with you, a nail holding us together, removing all of my edges not knowing where I ended and where you began.
Side by side, we stare at the black sky, illuminated by thousands of bright lights like beacons of hope, promising us shore once the sun rises from its sleep. We revel in the darkness of the night giving the moon its rightful time to shine, granting us the freedom to stare unabashedly at its beauty without being blinded by its rays. Like a shadow of its predecessor, the moon gives off enough light never harming our eyes. From above it looks down on us, smiling with its eyes ever twinkling. On some days it merely watches, gawks at us from where it rests, neither a smile nor expression from its plain and formless face.
Not tonight, for the moon is not devoid of expression. It beams down on us, its lips curled into a gentle smile, comforting us of a better tomorrow. It breathes down on us, its hands pushing us back and forth, nearer to our destination.
We rest our hands on the clear surface of the water, palms downwards with our fingers caressing the threads of our smooth flowing mattress below. We could hear nothing but the constant ripple of water as the soft waves massage our bodies. Tensions are gone and worries flee. We feel nothing but the comfort of the moon’s smile, the hope of the stars twinkling above and the safety of being side by side.
Time was not against us, appearing to have stretched itself beyond what its capable thereby making us enjoy this seemingly endless blissful moment. We were drifting across the ocean like 2 pieces of wood, simply enjoying the journey, never minding where the wind and waves take us. As long as we’re together, we said, our hearts brimming with joy, content and love. We paddle our way towards the unknown, your strength becoming mine, treading the darkness with unified dreams. We feel everything yet see nothing but are hopeful of all good things ahead.
When tiredness overcomes either of us, we rest and wait for strength to regain its power, fuelling our determination to keep on going. In this rest, nothing is wasted and nothing is lost for every moment spent, mattered. Once again, we look up at our friends, goading us on with warm assurance that something good awaits us in the morning. The moon smiles, the wind cheers, the waves push and the stars give us the feeling of safety in numbers. We are not alone so we rest and take pleasure in the calm, the calm before the storm.
A gentle breeze rouses us from our silent reverie. The coldness of the night slowly crawls its way up to our toes forming goosebumps in its wake. The dampness of our surrounding intensifies the cold numbing our senses. The voices are getting louder, the space around us is getting bigger and the atmosphere’s becoming gloomier. The wind bellows, the stars disappear and the moon sneers from above. Suddenly we feel nothing, see everything and fear all worse things to come.
The waves push against us strongly and the winds pull us against different directions. We try to hold on, strengthen our grips and yet the skies above are all working against our favour, appearing as if expectant of our demise. We plead and ask what we did wrong and yet all we hear is the wind boisterously laughing and see the stars one by one leaving with the moon never helping. Why we ask, yet no one answers. How, we ask one another yet we don’t know the answer. We are now alone and all we can do is to wait for the calm after the storm.
The wind picks up more strength while the waves push us even harder. The force of the storm pried my fingers off your hand, loosening my grip, my safety, my surety. My hands grapple for what’s nearby, only to be met with the angry waters below, drowning me further into its oppressive weight. I kick my legs against gravity’s stubborn pull, desperate for air, eager to know that you’re still here.
I finally resurfaced only to see you out of arms’ reach. I try to propel myself nearer to you, lifting my aching arms to part the waters in between us. I screamed your name over and over, swallowing the salty water, bruising my throat, numbing my tongue, filling my lungs and yet I didn’t stop. Don’t leave me, I begged you, as if you had the power to stay. With the little strength I had in me, I braved the livid waters and faced the looming waves. I wasn’t afraid of drowning. I was afraid of losing you. All this resulted to nothing for the more effort I give, the farther away we part.
The nail that kept us together, 2 pieces of wood joined side by side, abandoned us both. It relinquished its hold on us unwillingly. It wasn’t strong enough to withstand the storm. It wasn’t hammered deep enough to hold us in place. It wasn’t thick enough to never let us go.
I now knew where I ended for I am but alone in this vast ocean of the unknown with the darkness oppressing me. I now knew where you began for there was no longer an us. There was only me, and a you, too far gone for my eyes to see.
The waves stilled. A few of our audience returned. The moon was expressionless. You were gone and I was alone. This is the calm after the storm. This is my unbearable reality.
gee
