Studying abroad is no doubt a life-changing and eye-opening experience. It shifts your perspective and helps to develop a new lens through which you view the world. As a collegiate athlete, studying abroad was an entirely unexpected experience that revived my love for rowing and helped me to heal from emotional numbness.
The Thaw
Mist rises
from the still surface
of the Yarra
and rests
upon the glassy water.
A light, morning breeze
exhales
creating tiny ripples.
The reflection of the
Melbourne skyline begins to dance.
Barefoot on the bank
I wade into the river.
The icy water bites
at my ankles.
I lose my sense
of time
as I fix my gaze
on a statue
on the opposite shore.
I can’t quite tell
If it’s meant to be
a human or an animal.
The silence
of the morning
is broken
by the squawking and bickering
of rainbow lorikeets
perched in the bare, budding trees.
I sit down in my boat
and shove away
from the shore.
The water trickles
along the hull
as the boat glides forward
underneath me.
My body compresses
and releases
to the rhythm
of the clicking oarlocks
and the splash of the oars
entering the water.
This is what rowing is
supposed to feel like.
I let the boat glide
to a stop,
the oars skimming over
tiny ripples.
I blend into the stillness
until I am painted
into the morning landscape.
I can’t feel my toes,
but I can feel
warm tears running
down my cheeks.
My stone heart beats again
as black skies turn to red.
