“The Illusion of Separateness” by Nicholas Allison

Each connected, all impermanent.
But you already know this,
for it was you who first spoke to me
about the waves and the ocean
and the clouds to begin with.
 
Crest and fall, rejoin, never
having left, nothing to abandon, just
a lofty stretch and a return to the essence,
as the gulls of curious thought
feather-paint the drifting mist.
 
A sun-warmed sigh, drawing it all
back home, belonging
to ourselves and to no-thing,
while the deep-swimming monsters
sometimes breach the surface,
 
and utter their deep calls
of mischief, their lidless eyes,
reflecting all the light we cast,
a delicate dance between flame
and shadow — they are also us.
 
Where whispers of waves soothe the shore,
we find solace in the cycle, the delicate flow
of being and becoming in this shared journey,
connected, exploring impermanence.
 
But of course, you already understand,
because you were the one
who first showed me all of this,
when I was still paddling alone
against the illusion of separateness.
 
Copyright © 2024 Nicholas Allison
All Rights Reserved

Nick Allison resides in Austin, TX with his family and two weird dogs. He has traveled across the country and the world as both a soldier and a civilian, gathering experiences that he now seeks to incorporate into his poetry and essays. His poems and musings are available on his site TheTruthAboutTigers.com.

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