The poem, “Flying Against the Wind” is the final poem in my chapbook, Erasing the Doubt, (c) 2015,  Finishing Line Press. (The book is available for purchase from Finishing Line Press.)

 

Flying Against the Wind

 

Your thoughts drifted out to sea—riding on the wind

like wisps of breath lost on a freezing day.

.
With only the lighthouse for company and water all around,

your steady feet were planted firmly on the point.

You looked as if you were an island isolated from the world,

but you were not.

 

The chill March air made even you feel cold.

You pulled the flapping wings of your jacket closed,

zipped it, and slid your hands deep inside the pockets.

Except for this, you never moved.

 

You stood there looking at the sea that went on forever,

searching the horizon for clues where it might end.

The wind stung your eyes as waves conjured up whitecaps,

then swept them away like mermaids lost and turned to foam

while currents pulled together and then apart.

 

A fierce gust blew through your bones, trying to topple you,

but you stood fast. Even sea birds hid behind steep cliffs,

not daring to fly against the wind.

“Arai: Whitecaps on the Ocean (Arai—Enkai hato),” c. 1848-1849, by Utagawa Hiroshige I