Endocrinology or Oceanography

I am on the cusp of the wave, the tip of the tide,
just before it rolls over to touch the shore.
Throw the tiniest grain of sand in anywhere,
it will ripple to every corner of the sea
captured inside of me.

The Molecules of my body are spread across
the surface of the seven oceans,
thinner than a semi-permeable membrane,
glistening iridescent as oil.

I am as sensitive to every imperceptible change in the weather,
as the weather is changed by me.
You are researching into the soul of me.
You are writing out in papers and journals
what the tides in my body have been singing out to me for years.

World wide turbulence created by imbalance
in the world axis powers.
A global wave that amplifies from ocean to seaway,
to river to stream,
until it trickles down from rain to mist
to molecule.

Will the cusp of the wave I ride
ever touch the triple shore of what you are learning?
Will you find a way to turn back the moon,
or discover that the water is deeper, denser, saltier,
unfathomable?

I have learned many new ways of treading water,
trying to stay afloat.
Keep swimming in this direction,
fashion a raft from science,
or at least send me some stars to navigate by.
I am waiting in the sea
and the sea is waiting inside me.

- Holly W. Graves, 2002


Click on back for more poems.
To share your poem, send email to stories -AT- FWHC.org


Birth Control Comparison - alll methods Abortion Info from Feminist Women's Health CenterShare your story
Poetry and Prose - by women about their reproductive lives Teens HealthResources for Women of Color
Feminist Abortion Clinics Real Life Abortion Stories from teens Questions and Answers