Riding the Wave

“You have to hold your old heart lightly as the female river holds the clouds and trees.”- Jim Harrison, Songs of Unreason

Her old heart holds a memory of running on the beach
Young, tanned, without worry, hair flying in the wind
Plunging into the briny water with her board,
Heavy in her slight arms until the ocean
Takes the weight from her, sweet freedom
Paddling out where frothy waves are breaking,
White hot sun shining down, browning her skin
Then…
She’s up, riding the powerful wave
A shower of salt spray, the taste
Of summer on her lips and
Back to shore to begin again

She didn’t realize it then but now in her golden age
She knows…
The ocean was teaching her
The most profound lesson in life-
Beginnings, Endings, Getting back up,

…Beginning again

©2022 Linda Lee Lyberg

Author’s Note: Day 3 of NaPoWriMo. Also, using a word from #skyloverwordlist. The word is memory. Thank you Kerry!