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I’ve only been surfing twice in my life.
Both times I was reminded
that I’m not a great surfer.
Still,
if I had the chance,
I’d do it again
in a heartbeat.

 

You paddle this long, thin ship –

only big enough for one –

out into the sea

and wait.

 

You wait for waves –
they come in sets of three,

you wait for otters
as they pop their curious noses,

you wait for sunrise to finish,
because who can look at the shore
when the sky dances
just for you?

You wait for bravery
because once you stand
you’ll find out how good your balance is –

or is not –

and you might just fall.

and you might fall hard.

 

And when the set rolls in –
three little swells
like glassy serpent backs  –

you muster air in your lungs,
courage in your heart,
and strength in your arms,

and you paddle –

ferociously chosen –

this is the wave you will take –

this is the wave that will take you.

 

pull, ache, burn, and hope

clutch the edge and stand

plant your feet and flex your toes

bend the knee and ride

responsive to the journey

molecules moving over

undulating tide

 

If you’re lucky, the wave takes you gently to the beach
and you stride off your board
like a man from an escalator
who checks his watch
and waits for the next tram.

But most times
I never quite make it
to the shore.

and when that happens,

you spin in salt and sand
for a time –

sometimes it seems like a long time –

disoriented and strange.

 

the force of a wave is not something to fight against.
you must yield to it else you waste your strength.

it eventually forgets you
and heads back out to sea
and you must have something left in you
to find the surface again.

 

In those seconds underwater,

you’re pushed.

you’re pulled.

you’re lifted and drowned.

you’re helpless and weightless and unseen and free

and slowly,

slowly,

the spin stops

and you must wait

to feel your float

and find the surface once again.

 

I’ve only been surfing twice in my life.
Both times I was reminded
that I’m not a great surfer.
Still,
if I had the chance,
I’d do it again
in a heartbeat.

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