![\"edge\"](\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/edge-300x199.jpg\")
I went to the edge of the precipice and was hypnotized as I looked across the sea to a land that called me by name
\nA land that beckoned with the lure of tranquility and peace of mind
\nSo I took a flying leap of faith and landed in this other dimension
\nWhere time stood still and sometimes reversed<\/p>\n
A land where the lessons were wrapped in flowers like ginger, hibiscus and bird of paradise
\nWhere you got a shiny new rainbow for every single day
\nAnd a breathtaking sunset to start every evening<\/p>\n
A land where food was really food and came straight from the earth
\nAnd you could meet the fishermen when they came to shore with freshly caught tuna, marlin or dolphin
\nWhere you could catch crab in your yard after it rained to add to your caliloo with fresh coconut milk
\nAnd where the beaches were tinted black from\u00a0 volcanic eruptions long ago<\/p>\n
You could look across the waters and see Marie Galant, Guadaloupe and the Saints islands
\nAnd hang out at the village bars drinking a carib beer or the local Red Cap rum
\nThis land was filled with the sounds of Calypso, Zouke and Kompas
\nAnd its people were as strong and daring as their ancestors from many years back
\nStrong enough to survive the rugged, mountainous terrain which made up this land<\/p>\n
Where the chains of slavery were broken and a rich and diverse culture was formed
\nAnd where sometimes French, English or Creole was spoken
\nI became one of its people
\nI bathed and washed clothes in the river
\nI healed myself in the sea<\/p>\n
From my porch I could watch a cloudburst move across the ocean or cruise ships and yachts gliding by.<\/p>\n
And the Les Espress Des Ile would pass by daily ferrying people between the French islands.
\nIn the distance I could see playful dolphins leaping in and out of the water and occasionally you\u2019d spot the tale of a giant sperm whale
\nConstantly blowing trade winds kept a serenade blowing through the wind chimes in my yard<\/p>\n
And drinking water came from natural springs high in the mountains
\nOur day\u2019s meal was cooked outside on a coal pot with coal from the nearby village
\nAnd I showered outside under the trees and\u00a0 sky in a shower stall made with the rocks from the earth
\nAt night you could see far away constellations and every star in the Milky Way<\/p>\n
I learned everything there was to know about building a house and living a roots life in this tropical land
\nBut eventually I had to return home so I stored this entire experience in a sacred spot in my heart
\nWhere while sitting at a window staring at the fall leaves or watching the snow of a blizzard being dumped on the city<\/p>\n
I could transport myself to a place that knew only sunshine, palm trees, warm smiles and a version of life so completely different that in order to comprehend its beauty<\/p>\n
In order to feel the culture pulsating through your blood
\nIn order to be able to know the fresh smell and vibrant rainbows that came after each rain shower and in order to know of the beauty everywhere that made your eyes dance in delight and the sounds that romanced your ears<\/p>\n
In order to know this you\u2019d either have to be there in the flesh or be dreaming a sweet, delicious, tropical dream of Dominica, where I left my heart<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I went to the edge of the precipice and was hypnotized as I looked across the sea to a land that called me by name A land that beckoned with the lure of tranquility and peace of mind So I…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":91174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n