Looking with Your Eyes Closed

Mother said,
“Close your eyes and look”
and I closed my eyes,
gently at first –
and then more tightly.
Colors swirled
beneath my lids
dancing at a furious place,
but then I listened
to the sounds of the ocean.
Eyes still closed,
I could see the gulls
gliding across the water
quick moving shapes of
white and gray
wings outspread
and their gentle descent
down to the wet sand.
The water rushes
and the gulls run hither
a quick chase ensues
and before the reach is met,
retreat.
Water pulls back to the ocean
the birds flap their wings
and vanish.
We are here,
in the stillness of the moment
between the rise of the waters
and the gentle pulling back of the waves.
My eyes are closed
and I can feel the water swirl about my feet
I feel as if I am sinking into the sand.
Perhaps, in time – I shall be
covered over by the sands
perhaps I shall be
swept away with the tide
but I feel a surge –
a rush of life
within me.
For my heart now beats
to the rhythm of the waves.