Another Way of Knowing

I study her.
Day after day
I sit and stare.
I watch how she
Curls over
On top of herself,
Splays out
And then inhales
Herself back in.

I notice how
Sometimes
Her face stiffens,
Is steep;
Sometimes
Soft and rounded.
Sometimes
She darts
Here and there and all over
And then I'm not sure
Of her,
At all.

I observe how
Her shoulders
Uplift,
Perky,
Sassy-like.
Flirting,
I'm sure of it.
But then
They will
Drop
Like a deep sigh;
Almost cave in.
Often times
They do.

At times
Her arms
Stretch so wide,
Her fingers
Reaching for me
Sparkly
Like a giggling child.
Other times
She hugs herself tightly
Wrapped up
Like a yoga coil,
Creating
An expanse between us.

This fickle one I love;
I want to
Know her
In a glance.
Without looking at
Her tell-tale edges,
To peer into her core
While gathering my notes
And answer -
"Is she incoming
Or outgoing?"
And with my proficiency,
I will guess.
Almost always
Incorrect.

But one time,
In that moment
Deeply corralling the clues,
Amassing my observations,
She startled me
And said,
"Forget your scrutiny.
How do I feel
To you?"

And I stood there
And let go
Of what I thought
Or didn't think;
And I felt her.
Absorbed
Her presence
Into me,
     And knew her.

"Incoming,"
I said.
And this time
I was right.

...my beloved,
The sea.
She taught me this.