Thursday, July 22, 2010

Longboard


On a longboard
in the morning
by a reef break,
southwest swell

kind of sloppy
but it’s draining
and should clean up
pretty well

you can shred ‘em
if you want to
carve ‘em up and
cut ‘em down

but that wave just
melts to ocean
and another
rolls around


On a longboard
in the morning
where the seagulls
soar and swoon

it’s a slow ride
through the silky
waltz of ocean
with the moon

I am only
passing through here,
rising up to
fall apart

while the surf keeps
timeless rhythm,
an eternal
beating heart


On a longboard
in the morning
where the dolphins
crest and dive

in a wordless
prayer of reverence,
grateful just to
be alive.



11 comments:

Julie said...

Absolutely awesome. I was on a longboard in the morning a couple of weeks ago, and there's nothing like it. My friends laugh at me, because I still do old school surfing. Let them keep their little toy boards. I love the big guns.

Okay, enough of my prattle. This is a beautiful poem, and the meaning is wonderful. I especially love:

"I am only
passing through here,
rising up to
fall apart

while the surf keeps
timeless rhythm,
an eternal
beating heart".

It's so true, isn't it? We're rolling through for a time, and then we fall apart. Others come along to take our places. The sea is eternal, and we're a part of that beauty. Your last two stanzas say it all.

Excellent poem, Joaquin! It's so good to see you again and read your awesome words. I'm going surfing again this weekend, and I'll be thinking of you.

Kits said...

Joaquin, this line 'through the silky waltz of ocean with the moon' is especially brilliant. Just imagined the feel of the water and ocean and moon doing this waltz - such a bootiful image man..keep it coming :)

Dave King said...

Beautifully done, both technically and poetically in the truest sense. I cannot say too strongly how impressed I was by it.

Anonymous said...

"I am only
passing through here,
rising up to
fall apart

while the surf keeps
timeless rhythm,
an eternal
beating heart"

I'd want to be the wave. Beautifully written as always, Joaquin.

-Swati/BloMo.

S.L. Corsua said...

I hear this as a song. Apt, for the distinct sound of waves that the poem elicits from memory.

I've never tried skateboarding nor surfing. I reckon I'm balance-challenged. (Aikido helped, but since my back got busted, well, extreme sports became a matter of wearing high heels to work. ;) ) So, in my book, you and Julie rock.

Love the photo, by the way.

Sarah Hina said...

Reading this poem is as close as I can get to hearing the "eternal beating heart" for myself. Gorgeous imagery, while your impeccable rhythm is as reliable as the moon's gravity upon those waves.

It's a humble poem, acknowledging our smallness, yet embracing our infinite capacity for awe and wonder. I loved every line of it, and am grateful that we can come to your shore here, if just to dip our toes in. :)

Jannie Funster said...

I waltz with the moon
and balance my spoon
on the rim of a mug
that's brimming with love.

Thanks for your inspiration!

It IS good to be alive, very very good indeed. And something about the ocean draws it wonder to the fore.

xo

Karen said...

Somewhere or somehow, my comment disappeared - or perhaps, I only meant to comment. Things have been a little topsy-turvy lately. Anyway, I've arrived behind Julie and Sarah, so I'll just add my admiration to theirs. You are a wonderful poet.

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

Your words always stir me...

joaquin carvel said...

julie - you're right - there's nothing like it, especially on the big guns. it's an amazing thing, no matter how small a part of it we are. thank you - hope you have a great go-out!

kits - thank you - it's a beautiful thing to be a part of. :)

dave - thank you! glad you dropped in.

swati - we are the waves. sort of. thank you!

s.l. - surfing is better for the balanced-challenged (ha!) - water is a lot more forgiving than the sidewalk. but just being in the ocean gives me the same feeling. thank you (took the photo in san diego, near la jolla.)

sarah - thank you. i guess it's like looking up at the stars - you can feel so small, but so amazed at the same time. can't help but be humbled by it.

jannie - just returning the favor. i agree -there is definitely something about the ocean. thank you!

karen - i hate when that happens - especially when i can't remember if i actually commeneted or not. thank you - and i hope things are evening out for you.

k. - thank you - seeing a comment from you again pushes the world a little closer to ok :)

Aniket Thakkar said...

And add my admiration to Karen's. I know I've not visited friends in a long time now. The worlds just going crazy around me lately. The good kinda crazy, but crazy none-the-less. I am hopeful i'll catch up (somehow!).

Everyone has picked up the fav. lines. 'eternal beating heart' is just epic. Someday, I'll steal and use it to impress a girl. I just know it.