The Exhale

Tonight I remembered why
I have this yearning to be near the water

I finally allowed myself some time
to sit on the dock, under the stars

I rocked in a rocking chair built for two
just me, Maggie laid down on the dock

There was a beautiful breeze
the water was swiftly moving

Then it happened, the exhale

This huge breath of salted air that fills my lungs
as it leaves my body, so do all my worries

The feeling of the salt settling on my skin
the sound of the water and the sea breeze

I was as close to the water as I could get
without actually getting in

I could almost feel the water running through me
surging through my veins

Washing away the stresses of the day
clearing the slate, as a shoreline is smoothed by a wave

The water is my past, my present, my future
I could stay here forever