Vow to the Sea Standing above the tide, it rolls below Sand shifts, hurls As we become the whole sea Dunes, mountainside, the urban concrete Brick, abandoned buildings Become the whole, become it all, there I vow myself to the sea To the sound of falling Waves, the roar of the avalanche Of going out into the world Each day a pledge Astonished with the tide below I stand above her crest, away from its foam Seething to swirl ankles Seething to weaken our toes clenched Gripped in air, the sea rolls below I stand above, still.
Deborah Jiang-Stein is a cross-genre writer, public speaker, collaborator, and founder of the unPrison Project, a nonprofit working to empower and inspire people in prison with hope, mentoring, and tools for life after prison. She is author of the memoir, Prison Baby, and has adapted her memoir for stage. Some of her publications credits include: Sun Dog: The Southeast Review Honorable Mention, World’s Best Short-Short Story; Two Worlds Walking, New Rivers Press; Paragraph Magazine; Printed Matter.
Amethyst Review 