On a Western watery horizon and just below my left shoulder blade
A largeness breaches the surface with a splash of “in-your-face” truth.
I drift next to this wall of flesh that has risen next to me, and looking down
The water is so clear I can see how much more of this beast lives below
And then an eye, full of awareness, and the size of my Journey Circle
Opens and looks at me, at my soul, at my story, at my sadness.
She examines closely my emotions, both those that rule and those that don’t exist
And she seems to be taking record of a more honest definition of who I am.
She says to me in the language of the whales (which I now understand clearly):
“Remember the waters you have swam in before… because they are part of you.”
And so I make my own waves and kick my feet with joy as I tread the water,
While she slowly lowers her magnificent body back into the depths.
Then with the sly humor of Whale, she gives me some parting wisdom,
“Keep breathing through your nose, Son … the one on the top of your head.”
This is my journey,
— Nate Long “Owl”
Pen and ink with digital manipulation