Whispers of Manannán
The first time I saw the ocean
I was twenty-three
And already half in love with the idea
Of the vast and unreachable
Depths that it contained.
It was nothing like I expected–
It was more.
I didn't feel awe.
Not then.
What I felt that early-autumn day–
Standing on the southwestern coast
Of Alaska–
Was a deep and unrelenting
Calm.
A tranquility that I had never before
Encountered in my waking life.
In my dreams the sea was
Green or blue or tumbled-grey.
The color I remember most,
Looking back,
Is purple–
The dusky-violet of the sky at night–
And I understood what the
Greeks meant when they named it
"Wine-dark."
I heard you,
While I stood there,
Whispering to me.
I heard you,
Though I didn't yet know
Your name.
