Like Water

Like Water

To others, you are a calm surface,
waves gently lap the sandy beach, unwilling
to knock down a child’s castle,
or allow your undertow to erode the earth.
Your impressions upon the sand, visible but impermanent.
To them, you hold up those around you like water under a raft,
provide energy and motivation without need for thanks,
and reflect the sun for a breathtaking portrait.
But, my dear friend, I have watched you,

listened to your soul. And I now believe
you are the current that leads others to strive
for a deeper understanding.  You are
the intricate tunnels among the reef and coral,
allowing entry to some, holding others at bay,
unwilling to endanger those you love.
You are the ripples that transmit a positive attitude
and loving spirit.  Expecting the waves to cause others
to make their own ripples, your reach becomes unlimited.

You are the storm as well as the calm, so that others
will appreciate the gift you provide when you choose
to offer nourishment, to fill their glass
half-full, knowing full well that sometimes, your glass
is half-empty instead.  Like the babble among rocks,
you offer bubbling music to soothe others to sleep,
but you also expect others to refill the brook, not to siphon.
You are the ocean, the waves, the brook, the stream,
the soothing, the current, the deluge, the drizzle,

and for all who know you, my wish is that they learn
to love you as water, with all its faults and gifts, and
to remember that they get from you what they offer.
As waves can carry or flood, tears can smile or weep,
the love of a strong and quiet woman
cannot be harnessed or misused,
but must always be appreciated
for gifts she chooses to offer and for the powerful
spirit she holds below the calm waters. 

SWPoet
9-2-08

This poem was written in celebration of a good friend for her birthday.  May she always remember the impact she has made and will make in other’s lives.
Thank you, Pat, for your friendship.