Dancing with grief

Partnering with the waves

There is a dance
we can have with grief,
much as there is
with love
and life.

For even as the waves
crash over our heads,
we have a choice.

Often we turn
our backs on the sea,
stand stubbornly
on the sand,
feet planted,
hoping blindly
that waves will not come for us
even though we can already feel them
lapping at our toes.

But what if we turned
to face them,
moved towards them,
let our hearts be torn open
so that our souls
can fly free.

At first
it feels like drowning,
but perhaps it helps to know
there is a rhythm
to the dance,
just as there is
with the sea.

We can follow
the pull of the water
and ready
for the waves that come.

So many lessons
to learn
for those willing
to partner the dance.

Let the gentle waves
wash through you,
bringing a softening
of limbs
and heart.

Tuck and roll
through the waves
that pull you off your feet
and flip you
upside down.

Learn to spot
the waves you can ride
all the way
back to the beach.

Feel the exhilaration
of being
truly alive.
Then rest
on the sand
for a moment.

Sometimes,
in every dance,
we just need
to pause
& breathe.

My poetry has taken a bit of a back seat lately, but always it wants to be shared, so I am going to try and share a poem a day for a week or so and then try to get back into a rhythm of sharing weekly after that.

Poetry writing for me is a jumble of the thoughts dancing round my head and the feelings pulsing in my heart. It doesn’t really follow any rules other than that. Most of it is scribbled in my notebook on walks in nature, and is later translated a little on my computer for sharing. But it is all mine unless it says otherwise…