Beach
Vacation

by Rebecca
Schiffman
...
On the beach
on vacation
with my parents
Those memories
are the most
profound
Looking out
at the waves
feeling a longing
And a knowing
that someday
I’d walk into the water
Who knew that
that was
the most now
now would ever feel?
The future was far
and bright like
the sun in the sky
Culture was
on the cusp
of an empty mind
Now fragments
fall in and
I wonder
was this
longing even mine?
This elemental
affinity
for the long
lost mother
Romantic notion
I’ll be in control
How could it
not be so?
How could it
not be so?
That I’d
walk into the water
Old Mr. Moon
I’m coming home soon
digging for a tune
that’s true for you
And I didn't even think
consciously
that I was
buoyed by love
From my parents
and my brother
who let me stand there
facing the water
And the sand loosening
from the grip of my toes
pulling me out
To this existential moment
Who knew that
that was the most now
now would ever be?
Everything since
pulls away
Old Mr. Moon
I’m coming home soon
digging for a tune
that’s true for you
Signals of forgiveness say
there’s nothing to forgive
I can almost believe
And
I wonder
was that
longing
only
An echo moon
reflected over
waves of memory
From future me
to young me
on the beach?
Now I’m seeking
the source of the original
Heart-swell for a mystery
Under the same moon
saying
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now
This is the now