Captured by all around
(c) Roberto Isaza

A huge thank you to Pamelj,
who coached this out of me.

Captured by the Song
(Forever and a Day)

The soft whisper
of the Caribbean in your ear
waves gently playing
a warm symphony
as they caressingly
brush your feet.

The whispering swooshhh
of water
curiously probing
every single seashell,
pebble, and toe,
reverberates in your ears.

As gentle the breeze
feathers your skin,
loving caress
of your maker
telling you
“Sure!,
There IS a God.”

The waves are small and quiet
for a ring of coral
laid by Divine hand
protects the island
from vengeful Poseidon.

The warm breeze
plays a rhythm
through the palm leaves
and sand it carries
over driftwood
a little ways.

Mottled clouds
in a pool
of light-blue sky
adorn the stage
of this symphony
of life.

The smell of the Caribbean
of brine and flowers,
life giving waters
wafts in the breeze
tickling your senses,
permeates you to the core,
welcomes you home.

As you walk on the beach
the sand sings your passage
massaging your soles
with a quiet crunch
that if your heart
is ready to listen,
sounds like life
calling you to rejoice.

Then you want to see why
the sand greets you
and sighs.
You bend to get closer,
grab a handful of it
and realize
that you’re walking on shells,
tiny grains
of perfect symmetry
replicas of their bigger
visible selves.

The surf is calling you
to fall in its embrace
and in warmth
you return to the womb.
You are safe and comfortable,
there is no pain or worry
alive in the liquid sound
there is no past nor future
but an ever present
in peace and quiet,
only now.

Lying on the beach
sand sticking to your skin,
the afternoon god
lovingly drying you,
the breeze and place
suckling of your essence,
you recognize you could be
stuck in an office
from 9 to 5
doing what you are doing now,
living.

The sky explodes
in a fireball of reds, ochers,
and oranges
as the evening god settles
into the sea.
You feel you want to share this
with another soul,
that your heart beats as one
with the universe.

Suddenly you realize
the celestial scene
has had you holding your breath,
and you dig your hands
in the sand
not wanting to fall off the Earth.
The stars come out
with a vengeance,
making you understand
how insignificantly great we are.

Then a shooting star
to make your wish
come true.
You wish
not to ever forget
who you are
why you are here,
and by what grace
you are allowed to see
so much beauty.

You want to stay
forever and a day.

© Roberto Isaza
February 11, 2005

Ok, kiddies, the story. One night I’m chatting with a writer friend (Pamel J) and she asked me to describe the Caribbean in my experience. So here it is. R