Tidal Movements Stan Goldberg March 10, 2002 Aging SIGN UP TO GET ACCESS I agree to have my personal information transfered to AWeber ( more information ) Subscribe to get updates and receive your ebook - Family Conflicts During Health Crises: 13 Best Strategies To Prevent ThemWe hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else. [box]In 2002, my poem, Tidal Movements was awarded 2nd Place in the Poetry Contest held be the American Society on Aging. S. Goldberg (2009) American Society on Aging/national Council Poetry/Photography Contest, 2nd place July[/box] The radiant Gulf sun rises from behind ancient mangroves and egrets snatch prey with lightning beaks as I push the canoe into brown waters. A back country trip to resurrect a time, when muscles readily worked, becomes a reflection of age. A trip, so effortlessly designed, now painfully unfolds. Fighting the incoming tide The canoe moves imperceptibly. While arms swell and muscles tire, porpoises slide by, impervious to the struggle. Later, on a shifting sand bar I watch the tidal movement take fish and delusions deep into the welcoming Gulf, leaving me with a grudging acceptance of who I have become. Mud flats once holding bragging fish now become a clinging ooze, locking weary feet that can go no deeper, releasing only when shoreward bound. At slack tide I sit on broken shells drinking French-pressed Starbucks. A rod at my side with flies too frayed to fish. I look into the reflective waters, still calm, still timeless. Days later, returning with the incoming tide, the canoe glides on calm waters, towards a protected shore. Behind the mangroves structures reappear and I start planning the next trip. copyright 2002 Stan Goldberg, stangoldbergwriter.com This article can be reproduced and distributed without charge for any non-commercial project if the source is provided. Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Sorry for adding Captcha, but the volume of spam requires it * six + 4 = This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Subscribe to get updates and receive your ebook -Family Conflicts During Health Crises: 13 Best Strategies To Prevent Them