Under the turquoise and nectarine sky of
A fine spring evening, she looks for the sea
At the end of the road, even though she is
Eighty miles inland.

Little things to keep us happy, she said;
Sometimes that is all it takes, if we
Open our senses as pathways to our
Hearts and souls, as conduits for
The beauty and joy that surround us.

Sometimes I feel it bubble inside me:
The lightness of joy floating slowly
To the surface of my soul;
Making me laugh, accelerating my speech and
My heartbeat, overflowing as tears in my eyes.

And sometimes my eyes and ears are closed.
Sometimes I am made of rock: immovable,
Impenetrable, impervious to the light
That lies trapped beneath. Sometimes, I see
The first star of evening as a symbol of solitude
Rather than as a beacon of light.

Tonight, it was just beautiful. I looked,
And I saw. I listened, and I heard.
I wish that every evening could be like this,
In both beauty and joy.

I want to be vulnerable again: to be
Open to sorrow as well as joy, to
Disappointment as well as elation.

It is my heart that misses
The excitement that once abounded in
My world, even though it is my heart
That is most at risk from it.
Not feeling alive is no way to live.

So to all those seaside skies, I say
Welcome: make yourselves truly at home
In this landlocked city, where there are
Eyes and hearts in need of your beauty.

04/22/2015

Posted on 05/02/2015
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince