ocean child, fearless soul

don’t you ever let those towering buildings and bustling sidewalks tell you who you can and can’t be.
don’t let your father look you in the eye and tell you what you should become.
but when you do (because you will. your heart is depthless as the ocean is endless.)
remember who you are, ocean child.
don’t let your soul starve in the rising tide of mediocrity.
of working. of eating. of sleeping. of working. of eating. of restless nights, lying in bed, window open to the sounds of snatched slurred words, fading sirens in the distance, a car backfiring in the alley across your street.
but when you do (because you will. your responsibilities are yours to fulfil)
when you find yourself struggling to stay afloat in a city marooned in existence.
ocean child, fearless soul
don’t be afraid jump off that cliff
don’t be afraid to let your heart lead you back to where you belong

you’ll learn the meaning of fear.
you’ll learn the meaning of hope.
and you’ll learn how fierce your love of the ocean really goes.

you will breathe with the comings and goings of the tide,
the rhythm of the ocean echoing within your heart.
and you’ll love like the setting summer sun over sea,
tender and wild, with all your ocean heart, with all your fearless soul, with every drop of who you are, unapologetic and fierce.
and sometimes you’ll break like a winter storm out in the pacific,
despair heavy in your heart, self-destructive and furious, drowning everything in your path losing yourself in the salt-water surge.
and then you’ll learn how after every storm there’s the calm,
how your breath will always slow down to the match the steady ebbing and flowing of dawn waves, and you’ll look out over into the horizon and all you can see in hope and you’ll thank the summer sunset, and you’ll thank the winter storm.

you’ll thank the fear that taught you fearlessness.
you’ll thank the ocean that taught you to be alive.

ocean child, fearless soul.
dive into the blue once more.
i’ll meet you out there –
where the water is perfect,
the sun is rising,
and the possibilities are endless.

Poem by Just Me Breathing