Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Not By Any Other Name

My name is strong
Solid

A blockade protecting me
Expressing me
It is harsh when it needs to be

But soft and comforting

In times of sorrow
A head-banging, loud, confident name
An easily whispered one

It flows and ripples until the end
and sizzles to a finish

It will jolt you like a knife in the back

When you know there's something wrong
Or brings tears to your eyes
If spoken like the name of a winner
It bites
It heals
It stands alone
My name is Alex

2013

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Driving the Boat



The tranquil waters breathe
In and out
Ever so slightly rocking me
My mom and brother have surrendered
To the waves
They shared a love of land
While I had a constant need of movement
Waves
Movement
The sunset approached
with colorful fingers
Now my dad and I head back
The sky a cascading rainbow
Dipping its end into the water
Rippling as we glide
The engine is hardly necessary in these conditions
As calm as a puddle
We share the sea with no one
We soon reached the harbor
An even more silent body
In one moment
A moment no longer than a few seconds
My dad looked down and met my eyes
My young adventurous eyes
Pleading to be more than just a passenger
Without any further communication
He handed
Me
The wheel
I took a sudden breath in surprise
But it was drowned out
By the steady puffing of the seals.
The canines of the sea
Come up for air very rarely
Swirling the water with heavy breaths
But now
They surrounded the boat
As if to encourage me
As if to tell me that I could do it
I relaxed
Drummed my fingers on the wheel
And drove
 2013