James McGurk’s most recent poem to appear here was Twisted Sheets (April 2015).

The Challenge
By James McGurk

You
….Bronzed warrior
……..Painted zinc oxide face
…………Sand washed boardshorts

What prize do you seek
….When your eyes scan
……..The thundering mysterious wave

Cresting from
….Solar wind driven swells
……..Curling to misty mountain peaks
…………From first break
…………….Wave over wave
………………..To green barrels
……………………Of aqua caves

Until the wind
….Can no longer push
……..Fading into
…………The burning horizon

Unleashing ancient spirits
….Riding a mercurial Alaia Board
……..Royalty of Kings
…………Rushing toward a shoreline

Of mystic seekers
….Waiting to take their place
……..Among nobility

And celebrate
….The soul
……..Of surfing