Rushing water over stream rocks
Lapping lake waves over small-stoned beach gravel
Crashing ocean tides changing sand-duned shores
Places where I have been silent,
yet the sounds of water
wash through me
Places where I am alone,
yet in much grander company
It has taken me all these years—decades—
to realize that the silence under the water
is my own song
Lifelong preference of solitude
beside flowing water—or under it
swimming, gliding, through water’s silkiness—
was safety
Even the memory of it
is not merely my love of Nature
but My Nature itself
The years-long struggle to “fit in”—to be a part of—
was not a struggle with the world
but against my self
To be brave and thicken my skin—to toughen up—
was, in fact, to deny the “skin”
I had taken off
in order to dwell in the world of Others
I do not know where my true skin is hidden
perhaps, like a Selkie,
I will find it someday—put it on again—
and return to my true home
In the meantime
I clothe myself in the beauty
of the growing things
and seek their protection
And sit by the moving waters—
listening

This poem is so beautiful.
I cried !!!
You are amazing, Cate
This is a lovely poem. It reminds me of my own life journey and the struggle to fit in. I love the idea of the selkie who is in this world but really belongs somewhere else. Maybe I will find my true skin someday. In the meantime I endeavor to be close to nature and be useful.
Kathleen
(From the book club)
So very moving and imaginative, I remember the dream of being a river otter again…
your photo evokes the homeland.
Thank you, Kate….
🙂 Julie