The Reading Poem by Nancy Vorkink

As I stood before you
With my written text
Now in book form
I prepared myself
To give you my gift
Of reading my words.

The angst gone, the lessons over
I came to you with love and appreciation.
I sensed a higher spirit
At work as I waited my turn.

An ocean wave washed over
Me, cleansing my earthly ego
Of past sufferings, as I waited
My turn cleansed and released
I prayed quietly
For grace in this moment.

In the bookstore space
I saw the evergreens, the ocean,
The stones in a sacred circle too.
The island came to me.
Soon I would touch you
With an intimate part of my soul.

The moment transcended
Such a hot summer night.

So I began to read
Another ocean wave
Even larger splashed over me
Carrying me to your heart.
My words of Maine rolled out like
Oyster pearls from a sea’s depths
In rhythmic harmony.

My words sung inside my heart
As I read at an even pace, aware of
An expanding universe
Unfolding in the events room.
I truly was reading in the moment.
I felt no pain or pleasure, only
A Nirvana-like moment.

Higher I ascended into the universe
And into my self, aware of the
Ease of myself as a vessel, and my
Words soared with
You as my passengers.

All was right.

The moon, stars, earth
Aligned, I read on
I remember as a young girl
Crawling on the rocks
Just to catch that wave
Rolling in.
Air. Earth. Water. Fire.
My own words breathed
In Divine Light
Transporting us.
I climbed the rocks higher.

I heard myself utter
I felt so free…so peaceful.
Perhaps my body did leave me
And Spirit took over.
I had waited so long.

I never wanted my reading to end.
Your faces connected me below. Alas.
I cherish these unpolished gray stones
In memory of the happy times.
The sea’s rhythm in its tide and ebb
Balanced me within. This final line
Hung in the air. I stood
In Oneness. smiling back.
I heard the applause.
The last distant wave
Rolled in and embodied me in full spirit.
I had finished my reading renewed.

© 2005 Nancy Vorkink