You
are at the beach
on
vacation, taking a stroll,
and
the water is sparkling in the way it does, very green,
and
accompanying you on your walk,
rather unexpectedly,
is
the shadow of yourself dancing,
maybe from the nightclub on this vacation
or
another,
a
happy shadow, considering it’s yours.
And
with you also are other shadows, lurking,
the
mechanic who overcharged you,
your
boss who critiqued your work unfairly,
the
lost shoe, the neighbor’s dog.
Then
the dancing shadow
comes up to you from behind
and
touches you lightly.
Who
are you now?
*
You
are a youth at the beach
and
life is filled with hope
and
barely containable energy
for
one minute,
as
you think about putting your arm around
the
person lying next to you,
though suddenly
you
think about the other people
in
that person’s life,
the
competition for your future,
the
confusion every day
when
you step outside your parents’ door.
Then
your companion touches you lightly.
Who
are you now?
*
You
are a baby playing in the sand
and
splashing in the water,
so
light that if you could think
beyond the moment
you’d worry that the salty breeze
would pick you up and carry you into the sky,
spinning.
But
inside you is already the kernel
of a
burden,
of
your parents and their parents
and
those who came before,
breaking people like breaking waves,
beaten and beating,
and
the frustrations of your life
that
will take on greater and greater significance
as
if they will grind your bones
and
break your heart,
leaving you deadened
and
alone,
an
ultimate loneliness.
Then
someone touches you lightly
with
the message that the pain you feel
is
not your fault.
Who
are you now?
Tulúm, Mexico
2/18/00
