I Want the World

On the flow of water, ancient rock, and the longing to experience all that the world holds.

Sunrise over Cape Wrath

I’ve always longed for a sense of immersion in the world. Sailing along the ancient coast of Scotland gives me glimpses of it, but it doesn’t always feel like enough. These two linked movements come from that deep desire to step into the world and become part of it.

Part I: Water

I want to be every water drop condensing in every cloud,
refracting kaleidoscopic sunbeams,

I want to fall down to earth in view of the heavens, drifting
down every mountain into every stream.

I want to flow with every river through every valley, carving
foundational rock, washing earth to the sea.

I want to be every condensed droplet on every leaf of every tree, dripping
into dappled sunlight on soft earth.

I want to be every molecule in every wave
upon the sea where dolphins leap and whales dive deep.

I want to be the splash of every diving gannet, moving
in the deep blue searching, living.

I want to move across the earth in ebbs and flows feeling
the pull of the moon from the cosmos,

part of all living things as we move together,
living water on the earth.

I want to cycle on eternally, until I evaporate and rejoin the grand universe,
beyond blue horizons.

Leaping dolphins

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Part II: Earth

I want to be the earth,
feel the movement of tectonic plates.
Muscles over bone.

Be every mineral in rocks that stand tall.
Observing aeons pass by.

I want to be every pebble on every beach
longing to return to the clouds.
Every weatherworn cliff, eroding.

I want to be the soil where forests grow.
Every glacial erratic, dropped by ancient ice.
I want to be the lava flowing out to sea
crystallising into hexagonal basalt
or ink-black obsidian, sharp and jagged.

I want to be the young earth,
witnessing new life emerge.
Then the old earth as the last
remnants of life fade away.

I want to see it all,
I want to feel it all,
I want the world and all that it holds.

And when I have experienced all the facets of this world,
then I will finally rest, as I rejoin it all.

Fingal’s cave, Staffa

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Thank you for reading! I started this substack to share the beauty and the wonder of the natural world as I see it. If these lines resonated with you, hitting the Restack button is the single kindest way to help new readers find this sanctuary! And if you’d like to support this ongoing voyage, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Fair winds,

Alexander

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