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I Stand
by Emma Lee Downs

I stand at the shore of a vast Ocean
of voices,
crashing, booming, moving like waves,

And I wonder why
some long for the Ocean
when it is all around us.

Perhaps they fear they will drown
if they do not cautiously approach it,
For many a sacred thing,
Has been lost to the unforgiving sea.

Perhaps, that is why I feel lost--
Afraid the waves will never take me home…
Or to a place that feels like home…

Afraid the waves will swallow me up,
And before my voice is heard,
Will be swept away by the ebbing tide.

I stand at the shore of a vast Ocean,
Of voices,
Yelling, screaming, squawking like seagulls,
And after letting my tears fall into the waves,
I turn away;

Away from the faces and voices,
That are so foreign to me now,
I cannot remember their names.

And before I journey into the desert,
Set aside for broken promises and lonely souls,
I cannot help but wonder,
Why some long for the Ocean,
When it leaves you stranded in the end.