Omnipotent Ocean

The ocean crashes

All around me

Roaring, thundering

Throwing itself against black cliffs

Power, anger, passion

Exhilarating

My soul soars

Wild

My spirit flies

Free

I feel power in the waves

It fills me up

Surrounds me

Intoxicating

Churning, boiling, brewing

The noise is deafening

I fall to my knees

Before my Maker

Humbled

Awed

The sand before me

Black

Black like coal

The waves electric

Blue

The contrast of colors

Stunning

Frothy white

Pouring over black

Ebony

Foam, frothy and white

Sizzling

On the sand

Rushing towards me

My footprints

Erased

Bubbles left behind

Popping, Fizzling

Renewed

On the next wave

The sun is setting

Dash of pink across the sky

My husband waiting

Patient and still

Ten minutes, then fifteen

Now impatient, practical

Getting dark

It’s time to go

I hope to return

Someday

Nothing moves me more than standing in the presence of a turbulent ocean throwing itself against rocky cliffs. The power and force behind the crashing waves is intoxicating. It stirs my soul, my spirit soars. Throw in a storm with lightning and thunder out over the water and the very air is electrified. As the sun is chased away by black, rolling giants in the sky, the light turns unearthly green. Raw power is intensified before the approaching storm. It is here I sense the great and awesome power of my God. My heart pounds within me. Raging emotions rush to the surface. I am powerless to stop them. Anger, fear, pain, love, joy, passion, all whipped away by the wind, never to be heard by human ears. It is here I imagine Job, after losing everything, his possessions destroyed, his children killed and his wife gone, calling out to God in anger. Asking “why, why, why? What did I do to deserve this?” He is broken and beaten, it is out of the storm that God answers him. In the midst of the power, there is love. A love that forgives, accepts me for who I am. It is here, in the presence of God, I experience unconditional love that is like no other.

As a desert dweller, I don’t get to the ocean very often. When I do, it is usually along much calmer shores than I described above. There is still power in the waves and beauty in the sea. But every once in a while I will come across a spot where the ocean churns and touches the wildest part of my soul. Until recently my favorite coastline was at the Trident resort in Jamaica. I was privileged to an invitation to lunch when a storm came up out at sea. It was standing on the top of a small cliff with the waves pounding below me, the air turning green and the rain starting to spatter that I first felt the omnipotence in nature. It was magnificent. I thought I would never see another place like it on earth.

Then I stepped onto my first black sand beach. Deep blue waves with pure white foam crashed against coal black cliffs. My feet sank into sand as black as midnight. The startling contrast of the white foam against the black sand was sheer beauty. The ocean itself was too rough to step into. The beach was practically deserted. The only other visitors were a native with his two dogs. The dogs were as black as the sand and I didn’t even see them at first. There was no storm, but the light was fading and the strength of the ocean was almost tangible. My heart thrilled to be here and though my visit was short, it was a place I will never forget. This poem is my attempt to capture that moment. It pales in comparison to the real thing, but I hope you can get a glimpse of the magic I beheld.