Windswept
Gates of joy strain and burst; tumbling waves
drag with them grains of sand upon retreat.
Doubt, worry, lonely cares, hopeless defeat
slide and tumble away from dark enclaves.
To float communing with neighbors they bathe
part of that great pool all oceans complete;
sharing sunshine and rain and pleasure meet.
Back on the shore it is goodwill we crave.
Where is the wave that will carry me there?
Sea of belonging; unrestrained joy.
In sorrow borne up by companions rare
their quality a quietive alloy
Come share my path, though oblique and obscure.
We feel, we love, we belong, we endure.
-Arnica Carolyn Grace