When I breathe out,

the waves rush through me

sputtering along the rocky edges

spewing foam

only to leave me barren

desolate

yearning

aging

agony, grief, despair hiss hot

scorching my tongue

brittle dry, crunchy earth of love

desolate womb, unborn’s empty cry

pomegranate heart

sand-filled buddha body

sinking

formless

gravity’s sculpture

mound of barren truth

unknown beginnings

**written Day 1 at a retreat with Kate Gray and Sarah Byrden in Hood River, OR