Treasures

Nathan He

Golden hour, the delirious exuberance of life; Phoebus
Descends into the glassy waves
And the distant horizon erupts tempestuously
With nacreous clouds. Shower of ecstatic light,
Dance of flickering rapture upon the sea-
He pines for treasures in the deep not knowing they are here.
Specks of shadows over the soft sand, scattered,
Silhouettes of rocks and shells, reefs spilling into the shallows
Their rugged forms, like bottles tipping over;
Drifting kelp and pine planks, white sails racing for the sinking sun
And the exquisite aroma of the salty breeze-
Found are the feverish flares of forgotten dreams.
And how majestic the sound of the sea:
The plash of waves rolling towards land, foamy waters
Brushing the soft sand, and children splashing through the shallows,
And the songs of fishermen as they count their spoils;
Above the head the seagulls cry their frenzied cries
To the winds, they take our sorrows to the distant land.
Had I the fingertips of Midas and a quill of tears,
To make brisk for love the pulse of weary hearts,
Still will my arias pale compared to this symphonic chant,
So take this heart and carve over this precipice, alas,
Unuttered rests the insatiable yearn for life –
He craves for more and more, for ever more.

Nathan is a freshman from North Carolina.