Shower

Tonight I let the steam of a hot shower its mistress.
Let loose the faucet handles and
bathed all my scars and scrapes and near misses
until they were scrubbed clean and raw.

Water has the remarkable ability to heal you
when you realize that its fluid first held you
neatly in the cupped softness of its palm.

This is no different
and I realize I always come back to water
when I require healing.
When I am sick
or racked with grief
or fragile
I return to the nearly suffocating kiss of water.

And maybe this
is why I enjoyed diving so much
the depths brought treasures and vistas unimaginable
to my land locked eyes
and what I saw there
was worth returning to
over and over
even if I knew I couldn't call it my home forever.

Life is no different
and I am learning quickly
that each time I am able to hold
the surface within my lungs for longer.
Bring it down with me
and show those depths others fear to
tread there was at least one soul out there
that wasn't afraid of what it had to offer,
but did respect its biting majesty made motion.

How I understood that tidal patterns and
changes in the current
might make it more challenging
to enjoy oneself,
but the discoveries that waited
were well worth the trouble.

There's a pearl waiting for me
somewhere out there
and I will sift through every square inch
of ocean until I find her.
And when I do, I will forge it into jewelry.
I will wear it like a beacon around my neck
and savor the absolute aphrodisiac of its flavors.
Knowing full well that water
has ability to heal me
when I realize that its fluid first held me
neatly in the cupped softness of its palm.