Waves ancient, timeless
Haiku Verse | New! | Jason McBride | Weirdo Poetry | Have you even lived?
Waves ancient, timeless,
wash over me with kindness
renewing my soul
© Copyright 2023—Present, Jenise Cook, All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Self Published: 18 August 2023, JeniseCook.Substack.com
About this Verse
It’s new! Yes, patient readers, this is a new haiku by yours truly.
This haiku verse’s inspiration comes from a fellow Substack contributor and published author, Jason McBride:
Jason asked if any of his readers had had a near-death experience while swimming in the ocean.
Yes, I have.
I’m a fourth-generation Californian, born and raised in the coastal southern region. Depending on the route the family would take in the car, we were only 30 minutes from the beach (or, “the shore” as they say on the USA east coast).
One summer afternoon, in my early teens, I dove into the waves to do my most favorite sport: body surfing. Surf-board surfing never interested me. I loved how I felt riding the currents to shore. That one afternoon, unknown to me, the rip tides grew in strength. As I rode a huge wave, perfect for body surfing, I wasn’t dragged out into the open ocean and into a rip tide, for which I’m grateful. Instead, I was swallowed by the wave. It churned like a washing machine. I couldn’t tell which way was up (and toward oxygen), and which way was down.
The wave spun me around and around and around. My lungs screamed for air. I believed that I would soon have to open my mouth and gulp in sea water, drowning in the ocean that I loved.
As blessings would have it, just when I thought I couldn’t hold my mouth closed any longer, the wave spit me out on the beach and receded behind me. I crawled to higher ground and collapsed, utterly exhausted.
Jason, this is my near-death experience while swimming in the ocean. And yes, I continued body surfing for several years.
Thanks for the “poetry prompt”!
Your Turn
Hey, readers! Have you had a near-death experience? If you’re comfortable, feel free to share it by leaving a comment on this post. (Oh, and don’t forget to go visit Jason’s post as well.)
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Read my Faith & Spirituality Substack, Night Owl Christian
I like how you turned Jason’s prompt into a new post for your readers, and also a sweet promo for a fellow writer! Props to you both.
I love the haiku and the the gripping way you shared your ocean near-death experience. Thanks for the shoutout!