Marwa Fichera’s free verse poem explores the ritual of reconnecting with oneself. For TWSS Issue #17 ‘Masks’.

I am standing by the seashore at sunrise

where I go to seek my refuge,
where I go to find myself

again
and
again;

a place where
the air is pure
and the sea is neighbour,

where my thoughts unravel into fluid strings
and my body is solid and heavy to the ground.

The crushing waves sing to me
and I let my arms hang loose
while I sway from side
to side,
guided by the winds.

My eyes are barely closed,
the lids twitch frantically
and the dark lashes
move like tiny dancing arms.

The water reaches my feet
just to slightly moisten them

and retrieves back

in the same rhythm
the feeling of melancholy
arrives to me at night and leaves
by the morning,

in the same pattern
I win all of my battles
only to start fighting again soon after.

I am standing by the sea shore at sunrise

and
I travelled through mountains and deserts,
I escaped avalanches and sandstorms

to be here one more time.

Peacefully,
as the horizon gives birth light,
I catch a glimpse
of my reflection
in the waters.

Blissful tears are not as salty as the sea.

Illustrations by Nia Jones.