Open Water

There is a picture that captures you perfectly.
All it took was a little
"snap"!
and you were taken
your face set in emotion
set in the lens
your shoulders back
sturdy like the tall strong mast of the sailboat
by which you stand
there is only a slight smile on your mouth,
each corner only turned up enough for me to see it
and I know what it means.
it means you feel the rope in your hands, each hair of it prickling against your fingertips
the wind that tweaks your nose and soars against your chest is strong against you
but your countenance is stronger
you are going to split the sea with the bow
cut through the bodies of the water, keel under you
and you stand on top of it all.
It captures you perfectly and all it took was a snap.
Just like how something snapped in me when you captured me.

It's the perfect setting
The blue green water chops, rough and wild
But that's what I think of you.
You like to hide, you like to pretend
people think because you speak softly
that you are soft, like a worn, tattered sail
but let them try to bind you
you stand on top the power of the ocean
let all of it churn beneath you
you'll glide over it
just make sure to duck when the boom comes around
Aptly named the boom because that's the sound it makes when it makes contact
Just like the sound my heart made when your hand first made contact with mine

I should sail away
I have all the seven seas and more to explore
I could sit in front of maps and chart my voyage
or simply sit and let the wind take me

Peach

Eating a peach is the most sensual experience I can think of
Each fine silver vellus hair stands up straight off the contour
of its plump, round, orange body
I run my finger over its surface
I hate to break the skin, the fine soft skin
with the edge of my teeth
but as I run my lip over the skin
savoring the tingle of the soft tissue
I cannot help myself
As I sink my teeth into the thick liquid center
the juice runs out toward me
my tongue is alert with the sensation of sweetness
I suck the wound I have created,
taking in every drop of juice
before completing the bite
My hands are dripping with glucose
the succulent drops run down my fingers
I lick off all the sweet pools
that have collected in the lines of my hands
Then I demolish the peach
leaving not one heavenly morsel behind

Rain

When it rains like this

on a day like today

It makes me smile

and I think of the earth drinking it in

each blade of grass is like the little pink tongue of a kitten

lapping up milk

or of a small child

drinking lemonade on a hot sunday afternoon

I open my mouth

and point the chute toward the sky

the glowering gray plane

random drops ping in scattered places

but if the clouds lumber heavily enough

I will soon feel the drips plunk into my mouth

and roll with the coldness of the sky

down the back of the my throat,

the wetness soothes

the sky cascades down too big to fit in my mouth

and quench my thirst

so it sends down pieces, 

messenger drops to say

"I will satiate you. Drink your fill."

and along with the earth, I do.

A Dana Eckstein Original

"Pews"

Yes I am the one they talk of

Me, notorious in the queue

My reputation is put out there

Spoken of by those who often do

For sure, it's of me that they talk 

Those bags who whisper in their pews

You must have heard from them mention

Of their stories, tales, and reviews

Please, don't listen to what they've said

Those old bats who lack any clues

They've not done me any justice

They still have yet to pay their dues

If they tell you that I am wild

I guess that could be somewhat true

But they haven't explained at all

How that is relevant to you

Do not let them keep you from me

The guards, lions that prowl with rue

They wish to keep us separate

That's why they paint me in bad hue

It's because I'm independent

That my infamy did accrue 

How they do fear sharp minds like ours

That stand apart from their foul crew

I need to reach you urgently

Before their words can sit and stew 

You just cannot believe those lies

The slants and facts they've turned askew

Love, let us come together now

A rare bond to form something new

We'll soar before the salt sinners

And then proudly bid them adieu

One of my favorite poems

"I'm Nobody! Who are you?" by Emily Dickinson

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there's a pair of us - don't tell!

They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!

How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!

New Song Lyrics - Stranger

When I look at your eyes
there is something familiar
There's something reminiscent
I remember of your figure

Did I used to know you
Were we once close?
I think I used to love you
You're the stranger I miss the most

I flip through photo albums filled with us
Why is a strange man posed next to me?
Could it be that you were some else
And I dropped from your love to apathy?

I sacrificed myself so I could save you
but you only saw that I let you free
I'd hoped that you would learn to grow
but 'fore two fortnights you've replaced me

When I see the friends we used to share
and I peek a glance into your room
There's hollowness that fills me
My emptiness, I feel it consume

Are you sure we've met before?
You address me as if we're acquainted
but surely you're alien to me
What happened before was all tainted

You'd think I know better than to trust
a man who says he's capable of change
He won't reform his faulted ways
He'll just turn completely strange

When I look at your eyes
there is something familiar
There's something reminiscent
I remember of your figure

Did I used to know you
Were we once close?
I think I used to love you
You're the stranger I miss the most

Oh how I miss you sometimes
I'm sorry - have we met?

It's Never Too Early to be Thankful

Yesterday as I rode on my bike to class (too late to walk), I noticed a guy making a mad dash across the bridge. As I pass him near HJG and whizzed on my way to class, he called out, "I could use one of those right now."

Touché

My bike is fantastic. Most bikes are pretty nifty creations and mine is extra. It is sleek and lightweight, sturdy and trusty, fully equipped and utterly perfect in every way. I am a very lucky girl to have such a nice bike. 

This reminds me to be grateful.

A friend of mine I've recently visited isn't super religious but she says grace every time she eats. There are blessings in Hebrew I can say for food, but I've never taken the time to learn all of them. I only know the ones for bread and wine on the Sabbath. My project for this week - learn them all and start using them!

I also want to remind the universe that I am thankful for everything else too.

I have such wonderful family. This is something I used to take for granted a lot. Parents are supposed to be loving and supporting. Siblings are supposed to be your best friends. The sad truth is most are not and that's something I've learned more and more about recently. I love my mother and my father and my sister more than anyone else in the world and I would gladly give up my life for them if it were ever necessary. Without them, my world is not the same. They give me courage to face everything and I always that whether or not I've faced it successfully, I have a warm, loving place to come back to. Whenever I am scared I have guidance. When ever I am lonely, I have home. Thank you to my family. 

This is not to say anything less about the family my friends have made themselves to be. There are people in this world who are not related to me in any way and yet, they have chosen to bond and connect with me. They too offer warmth and support and have taken me into their lives with love. Thank you to my friends.

Thanks for the roof over my head, the food that I eat, the clothes in my closet, the blankets on my bed, for the color of my eyes, the warmth of the sun, the teachers who really teach, and for learning how to be wise.

Last but not least, I really like (this blog brought to you by) my computer and the internet. So thanks for that too!