Changing Direction

CHANGING DIRECTION


Accepting the invitation of the laughing surf,
Boldly I splashed into the water,
Anticipating a quick dip in the cool, refreshing sea.

Buoyed by her salty swells, my strength and confidence
Propelled me with reckless abandon
Into her massive bosom.

But suddenly, surrounded by waves,
Panic and confusion gripped me
As I realized I could no longer see the shore.

Helplessness struggled within me.
Exhaustion clung to my aching limbs until,
Too weak to swim, I surrendered to the rolling, thrashing torrent.

Consciousness found me, washed ashore,
Slammed against the boulders, 
Cursing the jagged peaks that held me, broken and bleeding.

The teasing, flirting tide beckoned me with every rhythmic wave,
Receding reluctantly at the rising moon's command.
But safe was I from her seductive reach, sheltered by the rocks that cradled me.

Recognition of the power that drew me from the depths
Gently pierced the fog of my perception.
My senses cleared, my delusions vanished.

Greater than my sea of desperation, this awesome force could only be divine.
From beneath the pain, the humiliation, the scars,
Dawned the tentative hope that I could rise again.

On wobbly legs I stood to begin my long and difficult journey,
Blessing the Rock that rescued me,
Thankful for the solid shore beneath my feet.