Adam

18

"Daydream's Preacher"

I stand half naked on twilight's beach
Preaching to the fearful tides as they
Soar high , and hesitantly fall with thanatophobia.
The black sand covers my feet and
The wind rushes and rises and blasts on by.
I proclaim like Whitefield to the ebbing tide,
"You, wave, are no different from your bothers and sisters.
Because water you are and water you become. It is so vivid, if only you can see.
Like the seasons come and gone, and born again
You will rise with the coursing pull of the lunar orb.
I tell the waves, "do not fear uncertainty, for all
Summers, all springs, all winters and falls cross in and out.
Like a switch on and off. Your brothers crest with the same curl of the seasons,
As every wave has traversed your path. Therefore
Do not fear uncertainty. Fear of the unknown does not suffice here.
Because if you could see the sea from my view,
You will shudder in unity and brotherhood.
At that moment, the water moves asunder and
A billowing boomer rises tall and tackles me.
I collapse under the force and am carried seaward.
Drifting, the wind blows like a sitar and the water gargles in my ears.
The universe is conspiring.
Satori! Satori! Satori! I cry!
Suddenly my eyes flick open and
My dead legs come to life.
I rise from my seat with my cap and gown on Graduation Day, and walk that beaten path
Across the stage, despite this summer's gradual death, despite the sound and fury of
That preacher in my head.