The night sky was the inspiration that Kevin offered the writers at #verselove today. He shared Ada Limon’s poem, In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa and it was the line, “still, there are mysteries below our sky” that caught my attention and sent me to my beloved ocean. I found myself remembering wandering the night beach and oohing and aahing as the waves crashed with the florescent light of bioluminescence, creating a private fireworks show right in the sea.

Rewrite the Ocean

Oceans conjure

sunny skies, umbrella drinks, coconut body oils

and a hint of salt as you lick your upper lip

When the sky drops

and orange and red dances across the horizon

darkness descends

In the black of night

the magic of living chemistry

millions of microscopic creatures

light up the sea

Each crashing wave

a sliver of bioluminescent day

in brilliant greens and turquoises

Night sky rewrites the ocean

slows time with dramatic pauses

as it paints the inky seas

with light

Day is for sunbathers

vacationers

swimmers and beachcombers

Night is for dreamers

igniting wonder

deeper than earth’s vast

waters