Sting rays swim by
piercing my imagination
with childlike wonder.
My feet dangling,
swinging,
a bell rings in the distance.
Life is here and now,
the moment does not elude me.
I smile,
ordinary day,
elevated by their presence.
A net of wonder in the waves,
a leaf trembles and falls into the water,
serene it floats.
The human spirit reveals itself,
I drink the beauty of it,
for a moment I am,
my mind is still,
I am the stingray,
I am the ocean.
What is the soul they question,
what is life?
what is death?
A revolving door
from the past to the present,
a circle
of birth and death.
Questions reveal themselves to me,
I dream of glorious colorful fish
in every shape and size,
oh how we praise their beauty
and their heart during the battle,
worthy opponents.
Where do we go once
we have left this earth,
filled with joy and struggle.
I wish my spirit dances in the trees
and in your eyes.
I wish my spirit warms
your soul when you are in need.
I wish my spirit is a whisper
on your lips,
a smile on your face,
a joy deep within.
Where do our souls dwell,
no one knows.
The photo above is of dolphins in the wild.
being there in the eyes of those that loved us... leaving them a bit of our warmth and dreams and thoughts... yeah - i'd love that as well... smiles
ReplyDeleteit is the joy and the struggle that make this life worth it though...i figure the place we end up in the after ill be there when we get there...i think there are plenty of questions we will never know the answer to til we get there...i wonder though if they will really matter then? smiles.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and love these dolphins!!
ReplyDeletexo
I love how you changed the stingrays in third person to the first person and included yourself in the equation. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
So many questions...important ones....what is life? what is death? And where are souls dwell....a big one too. So much we don't know.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the refreshment
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=
Not sure we can every know until we kick that bucket haha
ReplyDeleteThe concluding stanzas are so full of devotion and give a kind of peace...................
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I did not miss this poem....so many lovely lines and images......I love "I am the stingray, I am the ocean...." and the cycle of birth to death, the wonderings.....very beautiful writing, my friend.
ReplyDeleteYou always put so much heart and grace and soul in your writing, ayala. Always a pure delight to read and immerse myself in.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your family a bright and beautiful Thanksgiving.
pretty pic and poem
ReplyDeletenice take on the prompt... I'd think it would be cool to be a bird soaring overhead
ReplyDeleteI think it is good to be GRATEFULl for those ordinary days. (Visiting from Poets United Midweek Motif this time.)
ReplyDeletebeautiful Ayala...
ReplyDeletethose questions are difficult to answer. thought-provoking and the last part is like chant :-)
ReplyDeleteI like the happiness you experienced looking at the fish. I really do hope those who have suffered through no fault of their own and that is millions of people know happiness and joy somehow after death and conversely those who have caused inequity through greed and avarice get their comeuppance.
ReplyDeleteBetter than the questions is entering the life of stingray and of ocean--then, indeed: I smile, / ordinary day, / elevated by their presence."
ReplyDeleteThank you!
There is so much to be thankful for in our lives, even in ordinary days. And I also wonder where or souls dwell.
ReplyDeleteWell written.
ReplyDeleteI wish my spirit is a whisper
ReplyDeleteon your lips,
a smile on your face,
a joy deep within.
A lot to give but of lesser good is returned. Not fair but happens all the time. The fish can be showing the way! Wonderful write ayala!
Hank
What beautifull thoughts here. Your spirit is in this writing. Where your soul will dwell, well ... you're right, we don't really know.
ReplyDeleteThis moves to a beautiful calmness and breadth.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful post!
ReplyDelete"What is the soul they question,
ReplyDeletewhat is life?
what is death?
A revolving door
from the past to the present,
a circle
of birth and death." - Loved this. It encapsulates time perfectly.
I particularly love the last section (stanza?) because that is what I wish myself.
ReplyDeletePopping in to wish you a Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI love this part: I wish my spirit is a whisper
ReplyDeleteon your lips,
a smile on your face,
a joy deep within.
Wishing you Merry Christmas Ayala ~
I love this Ayala! I too wonder where our souls reside
ReplyDeleteOh, Ayala. This spoke to me, in ways you'll never know. Thank you. I have these wishes, too.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you & yours. xVivienne, of OneVoice Poetry
Oh I like that image of the revolving door.. Better to seize the moment and become part of a kiss... Lovely.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, thoughtful, metaphorically swimming. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a mindful meditation on life and our places in it, Ayala!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful poem that makes one pause to contemplate the questions of life.
ReplyDeletei asked a dolphin once.. what is the meaning of life..
ReplyDeleteand my dolphin friend just said..
swim in now.. and never the same..
as now is art and art is swim....