George Tapan’s Baler

This is us. Hold steady.
No shakes please. We need clarity.
No blur, but a clear picture of the wind
And clouds, our lives among
The pebbles, our eyes intent on your
Focus as we face the sea.
Surely, you’re an expert
Of aperture and adventure,
And our lives frozen, our smiles
Holding steady! The toy in your
Hand is not a toy. It catches
The glimmer of sky, the gray of storm
Cloud, and the curve of wave―
We dive and drift and chase the curve
And crouch inside the tube―
We rise, we are weightless
In flight! And we are frozen in our
Smiles, even as we dream in speed!
So, hold steady, this is us―
Catch the moment and eternity,
Stop the blink and the tsunami!
This is our Baler!
Where the surf defines the shore,
And the shore defines us.
And the sea brings waves from other
Seas. Hold steady now!
We are light espied from an opening,
In a snap that will never come back,
Surfing or living,
We are cloud and pebble and sea!