‘Buoy’
Before I ever was,
[I] found [myself], floating…
Way back when [I] was just a notion
In the ocean of [my] mother’s dreams
Her experiences forming [me],
Her aspirations shaping [me],
Into what [I] would become
Long before a means to a beginning…
Surrounded by the vastness of her water…
Contently drifting,
With no name or direction
While the waves were gently lifting [me] up and down,
Rhythmically…
Though [my] limbs couldn’t help [me]
In fact,
They weren’t there at all
Or anywhere…
Long before [I] could swim,
[I] could float
Anywhere…
Her omnipotent eye
Carefully watching over [me],
Through the mystical clouds
And the pink and purple swirling sky…
Yet [my] eyes weren’t open or closed
In fact,
They weren’t on [my] face at all
Or anywhere…
Long before [I] could see,
[I] could trust
That her sky would guide [me]…
Anywhere…
The clashing and crashing of the white caps collided all around [me],
While the monsters screeched below
The chaotic world [I] didn’t yet know
Was somehow muted…
[My] ears weren’t capable of hearing,
In fact,
They weren’t on the side of [my] head at all
Or anywhere…
Long before [I] could hear,
[I] could listen
[My] mother spoke softly—
Not with words,
But with her current…
Quietly taking [me]
Anywhere….
The water was cleansing,
Bathing [me] with her warmth…
Salty from all of her tears and fears of giving her life,
Long before giving [me] mine…
Truly, a divine ocean…
Yet [my] body couldn’t interpret sensation,
[My] skin hadn’t yet formed my exterior
In fact,
[My] body wasn’t there at all
Or anywhere…
Long before [I] could feel,
[I] was touched by her selflessness…
Anywhere she was,
So was [I]
She was both the endless water and the open sky
Trusting, listening, touching…
So very far from land,
Floating well beyond what [I] could understand…
With no end in sight,
At least as far as the I can see…
Drifting towards her shore
Somehow now,
I can sense that what [I] was waiting for…
Will always be waiting for me.
J.T. CONDE 