the calm after the storm

as my raft revolves slowly in the dappled sunlight,
and the small white butterflies, cruzan snow, play tag in the treetops
drunk with the scent of flowers
and carried away by the breeze,
my mind floats outward,
following the ripples in the water
thoughts drift, collide, create, connect.
my heart sinks deep into the water, to rest their in the cold dark mud.
oh to live afloat!
to sway with the winds gentle, persuasive meanderings,
to bathe in the cool water at noon
and to lay my body out for the sun to dry.
here i can throw my worries overboard,
put all my hopes into a jar of flowers and a basket of mangoes,
and listen to the eternal heartsong of my neighbors,
the frogs and the birds, the crickets and the beatles,
and the swaying and rustling of the trees.