saltwater - a poem!

I used to take chances
with the spirits of water
I picked up coins
because my body was wanting
I took home combs
regardless of the merfolk's wrath
I dared the liminal
to take me deep
Because living here
could be so shallow
that instead of saltwater
my tears were empty

-*-

Hello everyone!

Today is a really chill day around here. I even skipped my morning yoga. I'm going to go out and enjoy the sunshine, but first I wanted to share today's poem with you.

This poem is from 2017 and is about the chances we take to be stimulated in life. I was someone who had a very difficult time connecting to the world around me. It seemed mundane. It might have been the brain injury or other things, but I wanted something more.

This poem in particular was inspired by an experience I had while my mum and I were visiting the Caribbean, where she is from. My partner, who is pretty spiritual too, was always telling me not to bring things I pick up home. Especially coins. There are some old stories about spirits leaving things around and following the person who picked them up home. I sort of half believed it I guess.

While we were in Grenada, I found a silver coin on the ground. I remembered what my partner had told me but frankly, I didn't want to listen. I pocked it and went about my day.

That night, as I was falling asleep, I heard in my ear distinctly the word "Hello" in a creole accent.

The next day I called my partner and explained what happened. I also spilled salt around my bed, but I didn't get rid of the coin. My mum had a good laugh, and so did my partner. I laugh now to think of it because it's pretty characteristic of me. I'll spill the salt but I hung on to the coin for a good long while, almost like I was daring someone. If it was a spirit and not my imagination, that is.

This poem is about that feeling - the feeling that you'll push the boundaries to get a response from the otherworld because you want to see something mysterious so deeply.

I rather like this poem, though I am quite enjoying my mundane life now. There's a lot of joy in my day-to-day so I don't feel so empty. Or maybe, I feel now that whatever I desire is already inside me. I can't be separated from those things that make me feel that the world is a mysterious and beautiful place.

xo
Ciel

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