During the pandemic, poet Jack Jacob created a space for folx to play their music and read their poetry outside of his home in Venice, CA. He set up a bunch of chairs on the street and got the word out… and people showed up! It’s called Horizon Venice (ig: @ horizonvenice), and it’s pretty damn cool. I recently got up to read this poem. The first part is cut off on the video, so here it is also in writing.
artwork by annie wood. see available annie art here.
I’m standing at the edge
it’s high tide
an ocean of blue feathers crashing
to the shore
on my toes,
it feels satin —an endless pillow brush, smells
like fresh laundry right out of the dryer
I dip a toe , lush and light I take a step
in the tickle
to my ankles i
walk
to my chest i
embrace
it’s fluffiness
I
can walk or swim or fly
It’s my choice, really, because anything goes in this sea of ease
all the heaviness has left my body,
every worry
every pain;
every sadness
only an airy comfort surrounds
( is this what dying feels like? )
I dive underneath the feathers and swim with no need to hold my breath
I
dive deeper and deeper,
not knowing what to expect
deeper and deeper
maybe a giant fish bird god will greet me
deeper and deeper
or a magical creature from a soft-covered children’s book
when I reach the bottom of the ocean of feathers, I see something,
something different, something not a feather
I swim-fly closer
It’s a rock
no, a reflection of a rock
a rock in a sea of feathers
i know it instantly
that i am the rock
i pick myself up and shake my head no
i drop myself and swim to shore
and when i arrive
i vow to be a rock only when needed
the rest of the time
i
am a feather
in a sea of beautiful feathers
and the world holds me
and i it
and we embrace our softness
but did you swim it?