
The ocean chews at the shore, gnashing with a nervous tide,
waves walloping, splitting sand apart in their fury.
Saltwater spray soars skyward,
compound droplets beating down on blue-black water,
churning and frothing—rising from the depths of rage.
The waves take monstrous shape,
furious, like the gaping mouths of gargoyles,
hungry and relentless, gnawing at the fragile edge of the world.
This briny cathedral,
an altar where offerings are endlessly spilled on the shore—
glass and rock and slime,
death and life mingled in bone, flesh, mineral, and breath.
Salted wounds. Salted tears. Salted sea.
It consumes all—whole and free—
yet, in its stillness, the chaos begins to rest.
The storm subsides, a quiet settles like a blanket of silk.
The gargoyles retract, their mouths silenced,
and the sea becomes a mirror, soft as a whisper.
The rage, though present, falls to the depths,
where even anger has its place beneath the calm.
The waves lap gently now,
no longer hungry, but tender—
each one a sigh against the shore.
The ocean holds multiple truths:
in one breath, ferocious, in the next, tranquil.
It swallows and releases,
a rhythm both wild and serene,
always whole, always free.

SOBER POETRY: This is a space where recovery and creativity meet. It features heartfelt verses that capture the emotions of sobriety. Written by various Sober Curator Contributors and readers about their recovery journeys, these poems provide inspiration, healing, and reflection for readers seeking solace and connection.
Do you have a sober poem you’d love to submit? Please email us at thesobercurator@gmail.com.

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