–dedicated to my brother, Dale, who is a safe harbor
“i am an island!” he declared,
staking his flag in the sand;
she shook her head laughing,
“how so?” but she already
understood his answers.
other shores beckoned her
yet he seemed content to
stay, digging in soft sands;
she paddled to a far harbor
uncertain when she’d return.
aren’t we all little islands?
“i mean, you’re there and i’m
here with an ocean of words
between us”…not to mention
thoughts, plans and dreams.
always creating ripples in
concentric circles, our ever-
widening waves roll outward
to crash in foamy surf upon
others’ glistening shores.
“why not leave your island?”
she urged but he insisted that
he liked his own beach view;
so we keep paddling rowboats
to reach each other’s worlds.
in space between, we send sea gulls and
glass bottles carrying messages of love.
______________
Thanks to Claudia at d’Verse for challenging us to use conversation…
a poem in my pocket 
May 10, 2014 @ 21:53:34
A fine conversation. I like my island – but welcome row boats!
Anna :o]
May 09, 2014 @ 20:53:02
I enjoyed this – sometimes I think our words serve more to create further distances between us, when we don’t listen properly…..
May 09, 2014 @ 18:50:13
I read this initially as a childhood memory – but then of course John Donne came to mind ‘no man is an island, entire of itself’. We are all connected to some greater continent, one hopes, for better or worse, and hopefully will continue to build bridges. Still, this poem has the lightness and verve of summers on the beach – it’s not ominous, despite the warning contained in there.
May 09, 2014 @ 18:47:16
A thought-provoking write. Would be sad really if everyone maintained their own islands & never ventured to visit another’s.
May 09, 2014 @ 16:59:36
smiles… i know a few island people… and as long as they use their rowboats to contact others i think that’s fine as well…
May 09, 2014 @ 15:39:23
now…how to connect…so sad…nice imagery…
May 09, 2014 @ 13:39:35
A lively conversation,Sfor sure, and a slippery slope emotionally, for most of us struggle with self-image & self-love, in order to have the capacity to honestly reach out to the world around us; but Mr. Ego sometimes wraps Self in conceits that lead to distancing from others; a delicate balance I say; nice use of the prompt.
May 09, 2014 @ 11:23:04
Oh this is sad and beautiful at the same time.. the water inbetween… let there be birds and rowboats to connect…
May 09, 2014 @ 10:34:54
ah you have to be willing to come off your island to see anothers view…and the love of self and what we have, or perspective will surely wreck plenty of relationships….
May 09, 2014 @ 09:32:08
Oh I like this… ocean of words between us, and thoughts, plans and dreams…