Get Your Premium Membership

Ankle Deep

I took off my shoes and stood ankle deep in the shallow reach and run of the waves. I felt a sudden cold, the slow sink of my feet into wet sand, the gentle pull of the outgoing tide, then a tickle of seaweed as it tangled around my shin. There are moments like this when you become the sum of your own sensations. The world was being taken in through my feet, sipped joyously as if each nerve was savoring whatever came in contact with my skin. It was electric. I was motion, the deep throb of breaking waves finding a resonance, a seashell imprinting an image of itself through my heel, the freedom of wiggling toes. I felt as if I was being lifted by a strange buoyancy until the cold spread its numbing chill and I stepped out of the water back into my shoes, into my own small footprint.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2024




Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem.

Please Login to post a comment

Date: 4/2/2024 8:22:00 AM
Paul, you always bring mundane things alive in your lines. Most people would just smile at their toes sinking in the sand with each wave, but you enlighten the moments with your skillful way of delving into thoughts much deeper.
Login to Reply
Willason Avatar
Paul Willason
Date: 4/3/2024 2:29:00 AM
Thankyou my dear Lin....to receive such comment from a fellow practitioner is an honor. I often question my focus on the ordinary somewhat critically so therefore your kind words are gleefully reassuring. Thankyou my friend.
Date: 4/1/2024 5:03:00 PM
Your poem was just breathtaking, Paul. You captured an extraordinary moment in time when the narrator felt deeply connected to the beach, the waves, etc. What powerful sensations...being one with nature is a compelling story. Rare are those moments in a person's life, and they are life-defining. Have to fave this one. A joy to read, have a great evening, Sara
Login to Reply
Willason Avatar
Paul Willason
Date: 4/3/2024 2:23:00 AM
Truly a sensitive response dear Sara...your capacity to grasp the emotional and essential heartbeat of the poem speaks your own depth and capacity to feel. Treasured my dear friend.
Date: 4/1/2024 6:43:00 AM
Dear Paul, You beautifully capture the essence of being fully present in a moment of sensory immersion. I loved how your imagery is evocative, drawing me into the sensation of sand between my toes, the embrace of the ocean's chill. Through your words, I felt the exhilarating pulse of life coursing through each nerve ending. It truly is the simple yet profound joy of connecting with nature's embrace. - Blessings, Daniel
Login to Reply
Willason Avatar
Paul Willason
Date: 4/3/2024 2:15:00 AM
Feel honored that you have entered so deeply and mindfully into the poem...I am very grateful to receive such informed comment. Valued, my friend.
Date: 4/1/2024 6:23:00 AM
So beautiful Paul, we've all been there but forgot it in a second and you captured it and gifted it for experiencing anywhere x
Login to Reply
Willason Avatar
Paul Willason
Date: 4/3/2024 2:11:00 AM
Touching comment my dear DD...very much appreciated. I guess poetry is one of the ways we try and preserve the meaningful, the gleam in ordinary things.

Book: Shattered Sighs