So this is Waterland
Where life is grand: huge sky
Dipping to meet a deep horizon
Worthy of the open sea.

Suddenly I could see my life
Spreading into the huge space
Of a place like nowhere
I could picture myself before.

The ever smaller box
Into which I was trying
To squeeze could just melt away
In the driving rain I had
Seen once in a picture,
Leaving me to take root
In more fertile soil.

But solid life is not so
Malleable. As with every
Journey to the edge of the world,
There was a journey home
To whatever that word
Meant at the time.

Cushioned by cowardice,
Guarded by guilt, my suffering
Continued, and Waterland
Became a half remembered
Childhood cartoon once again.

08/01/2020

Posted on 08/31/2020
Copyright © 2025 Richard Vince