Not To Hold, But To Belong Poem by Jay Bait

She was the ocean, open wide,
Not bound by beauty, nor by pride.
Her grace was not in sculpted art,
But in the kindness of her heart.

She moved like waves—wild and free,
A dance with fate, a melody.
Her smile, a shimmer, soft and bright,
Like sunlight kissing crests in flight.

She was a lifeline, deep and true,
She gave like oceans always do.
She healed the lost, embraced the weak,
Yet turned from chains the fearful seek.

I longed to stand beside her tide,
To call her mine—my heart, my guide.
But oceans caged forget their song,
Their shimmer dims, their pull feels wrong.

She'd take the shape of any cage,
Still kind, still warm—but locked in place.
No longer drifting, no more free,
Just stillness where the waves should be.

So rather than betray her grace,
I let the waves take up my place.
Not to hold—but to belong,
Drowned in her depths, where she is strong.