(I MUST RUN) EPIPHANY

The spray off the wind whipped waves rakes across my face
I am jolted into a rude serendipity as my toes sink into cold, juicy sand…
a twenty five knot wind whistles through the cat tails
and blows my hair to one side
The sky is blowing gray steel, admonishing, challenging, impenetrable, oppressive
hiding the light behind it
hiding the light I crave
hiding the sun kissed love I need
making my toes colder
making the wind burn on my cheeks hotter
making my eyes water
(my heart older)

another spray off the wave and I recognize
that if I stand here any longer I will perish in this aloneness

So I must run
barefoot on this steel gray beach head
until I find a break in the sky
and the kiss that I want from the sun

Sprinting now- lungs catch fire
heart pounding in my chest- muscles ignite-
stride lengthening

the cold water on the sand becomes warmer
under my feet
the wind softens and I slow to a walk
and stand in a tide pool

A rain squall blows onto the beach
and drops pearls around me into the tide pool
and onto my face, cooling red hot cheeks

I sit on a rock, close my eyes, open my mouth
and taste the warm pearls popping
onto my tongue

Sitting on my rock throne I breathe deeper
and the rain pearls come slower

I breathe deeper
and my eyes crack open
to view the lead sky

I stare into the cumulus and breathe a slit into the ceiling
and a rainbow strip slices into the surf

I breathe deeper and a warm fog,
back lit in full living color spectrum,
massages my face

I breathe deeper
and I find her/ emerging from the mist
stopping to dip her toe into the tide pool
making ovule ripples in the water

I breathe deeper and the mist lifts from the beach
and she looks over at me and smiles

her gaze freezes me in eternity
until I can breathe deeper
and slowly smile back

She laughs- she waves and starts down the beach-
her stride lengthens-her waist long hair waving-
feet pounding through the waters edge
sparks splashing from her heels….

rrm
4/19/06