Lynn White

Too Far Out

Like Stevie’s young man,
I was too far out 
much too far out
and not waving
I didn’t want the attention
waving would draw
to my foolishness
or precociousness
or my stubbornness
when I’d gone too far,
wouldn’t want to be judged
on my waywardness.
But I wasn’t drowning.
I floundered a bit
frantically
before
I found I could float,
go with the flow
for a while
and then kick off against the current
in my own direction.
Sometimes I reached the safety
of the shore
and stayed close for a while
but only for a while,
only for a while
I stayed
too far out all my life
but not waving or drowning.

Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She was shortlisted in the Theatre Cloud ‘War Poetry for Today’ competition and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a Rhysling Award. Her poetry has appeared in many publications including: Apogee, Firewords, Vagabond Press, Light Journal and So It Goes Journal. Find Lynn at LynnWhitePoetry.com