The Med

And the phrygian notes flickered between the Muse's fingers

bouncing off the rocky hills, slipping past the Mediterranean leaves

Smelling the citrus on the way

The birds had awoken extra early to catch a glimpse of her beauty

Perching themselves upon nearby olive branches

Telling us of the day's wonder

For their words cleansed the air of the morning fog

She frolicked down the mountain, passing the travelers along the way

They carried the simplicity of their lives on their shoulders

Calling out to her with the cling clang of their tin pots

And tantalizing her with the smell of freshly baked bread laying in their sacks

She walked away with a natural push

Passing a cheerful lamb on her right

And stepping aside to allow the lemon tree to take the path

She made her way further down the mountain

As the shrubs lightly scratched her ankles below

Approaching the stream,

Her feet trickled within the water

She reached down to cup her hands to taste one last breathe of freshness

Before she was to reach the shore valley

And would be soon faced with the cruel bitter taste of the waters that awaited her there

She pondered over the lost water that quietly slipped between her fingers

Never in a hurry nor plagued by anxiety

The stream simply continued on its day at work

And in the face of her own inability

If only she could connect to the harmony of the stream

Would she never know loss

She continued on

Before suddenly the incline disappeared

And the rocky terrain ended

She felt the sand making love to her feet

As she ran to its limit

Smiling

Panting

Ascending

She reached the sea

The end of a story on land

She stopped and looked back at the prints she had made

The salty foam climbed to embrace her

Washing away the memories she had left in the sand

It returned back to its master

The god of the sea

She knelt before her shadow, kissing the water to her mouth

But the salt only stung her lips

And its bitterness left her dry

Her shadow betrayed her

She cried out

Shutting her eyes to the vastness

Tasting the salty blight on her tongue

No longer able to distinguish between her tears and Mediterranean water

As she slowly opened her eyes

She saw a figure enter her vision in the horizon

Placing a hand above her brow, she shielded herself from the sun's ruthless attack

A boat!

Not much bigger than herself

Floating on top of the sea

This was her answer

To defeat the sea

To overcome its vastness

To find immunity to its intolerance

And she took one step back and swallowed her fears

Running into the depths of the sea

She no longer felt the water stinging the exposed scrapes on her ankles

Nor was she evermore succumb to its demands

She kicked her legs and swam out to the boat

Finally catching sight of a boy who sat there

And the sweet epiphany that she was no longer alone in this frame tasted like no other fruit that

could be found on the Mediterranean shoreline

Ignoring her limbs plea for rest

She just made out the face of the boy

And swam closer and closer

In one motion, she climbed onto the boat

Swaying her new world violently back and forth

The laws of physics quickly recovered as she sat down

Facing me

Staring into my eyes

My heart had sunk

I could see the tears pouring down her face

as she clasped her hands into mine.