Land Ahoy

I am wading through the shallows
Towards the shore
Of an island long estranged
From the ideas of man

The breeze blows gently
Through the shoreline grass
Welcoming me from my journey
Of a thousand miles

The sky is no longer dark
And pregnant with heavy clouds
Stained grey by fierce storms
Cold rain no longer brings
Its incessant reminder 
Of destitution
Instead the sun peers through
White floating curtains
Hung against pale blue

The sea no longer boils
Sucking down like quicksand
Spitting foam
Tearing ships apart
Drowning swimming travellers
Desperate for the sight of land
Replaced instead by the gentle lapping
Of breaking waves across golden sand
The water clear and calm
And nourishing

The sun warms my back
Almost all clothes are gone
Long since discarded
As dead weights on an ocean crossing
There is gratitude in its warmth
That I have survived the peril
Of the journey to this island
Not knowing that I would arrive
Only that I had to swim
The sunlight is nourishment
The wind a balm
For a recuperating traveller

Who knows when the wind will whip once again
With skies that darken 
And drive out thoughts of staying
That I may be compelled
To dive once again into the unknown
To cross another ocean
Swimming
Searching
But for now
Rest