Soularize: A Poem

God, did you ever take a day
to rise above personalities and pretensions
egos and elbows vying for position
competition and quid pro quo

to rise
above the clouds, even
to where the sun illuminates fully
puffs of whiteness billowing ever upward

and then to soar off the coast
to see the pattern
that wind puts on the water
corduroy to the horizon

the way clouds cast shadows on the water
texture over texture
the the shallow spots
where clear water reveals sand and coral
texture over texture over texture

and then, did you ever dive down
to swim in the diffuse light of a coral reef
to stare at a rainbow of plants and animals
sea fans flowing forth and back

and did you ever look up
to see it raining from underwater
the rippled surface dimpled
with a million drops

did you ever sit with friends
Cuban cigars and oak-aged rum
to sit and breathe and truly taste all of it
under the stillness of a full moon

the world is yours, and everything in it
paradise
right under our nose