I Grew Up on a Small Island

I grew up on a small island.
It shapes you. I always knew
in my bones and my breath
boundaries and containment
and also a yearning
to find the large world
that lies over the horizon.

Edges. I grew up
with a deep, unquestioned
awareness of edges,
borders, those regions
of change and transition —
useful for stepping through
portals and crossing dimensions.

When I moved to the big island,
the ‘island continent’
that my tiny home hangs off,
horizons expanded in all directions.
And still you come eventually
to an edge. A stepping-off point
with a wide world beyond.

Between self and other
this and the larger mass
is vast sky, boundless ocean.
Standing on the edge engenders
a longing to fly. Take that deep breath!
How far we can stretch, yet always
return safe home, safely held.


April PAD Challenge 14
Prompt: (blank) island; fill in the blank and make it the title of your poem.