The Sea and the Desert

With her head down
She sat and pondered
Twirled her hair between her fingers
Her eyes fixed on nothing
And the thoughts began flooding her
As the water rose
She felt she would go under
So she reaches her hand across
To the place that made
Those thoughts quiet
As if she had pulled
A rough blanket over them
They were now a dull roar
As her fingers glided
Like so many times before
So sensitive
To every discovery
Each one was a stone
On a path that took her
Far, far away
From the rising waters
To a desert sand
Whose scorching heat
And harsh winds
Gave her only temporary relief
Until her thirst overcame her
And once more into the water
She had to plunge
She longed never to visit the desert
She longed to build a boat
That would carry her
Upon her sea
To a land with green pastures
Tall majestic mountains
With the streams and rivers
That may rush through her land
But could never swallow her
So she began to build
And when the water would rise
She picked up another plank
And kept building
And when she felt herself
Reaching for the desert
She swallowed the bitter sea water
Knowing one day she could drink
Of the fresh flowing waters of her stream
So she kept building
Because no matter how oppressive the waves
She could swim
The desert left her with nothing
Sucked her dry and left her a shell
So she kept building
In hopes of never again returning
To that desolate place
In fear that the sea
Would carry her away
She keeps building
For with each piece she builds
A little more of her was lifted
Out of the water
And onto the boat
And she rested
With each plank
She kept building