ESSAY APPLICATION FOR MRMS "Soul" Source Aquifer Writers Retreat

Please read the following poem.  The author Jaclyn C. Stevenson describes the ocean as “the waves in which we whirl”.  Like life, the ocean is ever-changing. Although the poet states that the ocean is unpredictable and often stormy, in the end, she considers it home.

Please write an essay using approximately 800 words describing a time you have felt at home in nature.  Perhaps it was in a field or in the mountains. Maybe it was simply gazing out at a tree from your window.  

Your essay will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Ideas · Organization · Voice · Sentence Fluency · Word Choice · Conventions

The Ocean
by Jaclyn C. Stevenson 

waves

Unpredictable
and endless,
steady
and rolling:
so are the waves in which we whirl,
in crests and swells,
and often, storm. 

The rudderless many fight the tides,
searching for beacons among juts and jags 

and these aimless vessels, I know them well
I know the swims of struggle

but a current has pushed me
from an ocean too vast
into a familiar sea.

And at once, I am buoyed.

I float, I breathe

for
I am home.