This is my mantra.
Generally, the poem is interpreted as a feminist call for women to rediscover their authentic selves outside the roles given them by a largely patriarchal society.

However, I put it in   more...the context of my own life, as someone who basically lives in a reflective stance, always willing to mine the past for treasures, while choosing not to live there.

While I appreciate and understand Rich's intent, I don't see the meaning as being valuable only to women.

It's for anyone who's not afraid of the darkness, and can see the book of myths for what it is.

<b>Diving Into The Wreck</b>
by Adrienne Rich

<i>First having read the book of myths,
and loaded the camera,
and checked the edge of the knife-blade,
I put on
the body-armor of black rubber
the absurd flippers
the grave and awkward mask.
I am having to do this
not like Cousteau with his
assiduous team
aboard the sun-flooded schooner
but here alone.

There is a ladder.
The ladder is always there
hanging innocently
close to the side of the schooner.
We know what it is for,
we who have used it.
Otherwise
it is a piece of maritime floss
some sundry equipment.

I go down.
Rung after rung and still
the oxygen immerses me
the blue light
the clear atoms
of our human air.
I go down.
My flippers cripple me,
I crawl like an insect down the ladder
and there is no one
to tell me when the ocean
will begin.

First the air is blue and then
it is bluer and then green and then
black I am blacking out and yet
my mask is powerful
it pumps my blood with power
the sea is another story
the sea is not a question of power
I have to learn alone
to turn my body without force
in the deep element.

And now: it is easy to forget
what I came for
among so many who have always
lived here
swaying their crenellated fans
between the reefs
and besides
you breathe differently down here.

I came to explore the wreck.
The words are purposes.
The words are maps.
I came to see the damage that was done
and the treasures that prevail.
I stroke the beam of my lamp
slowly along the flank
of something more permanent
than fish or weed

the thing I came for:
the wreck and not the story of the wreck
the thing itself and not the myth
the drowned face always staring
toward the sun
the evidence of damage
worn by salt and away into this threadbare beauty
the ribs of the disaster
curving their assertion
among the tentative haunters.

This is the place.
And I am here, the mermaid whose dark hair
streams black, the merman in his armored body.
We circle silently
about the wreck
we dive into the hold.
I am she: I am he

whose drowned face sleeps with open eyes
whose breasts still bear the stress
whose silver, copper, vermeil cargo lies
obscurely inside barrels
half-wedged and left to rot
we are the half-destroyed instruments
that once held to a course
the water-eaten log
the fouled compass

We are, I am, you are
by cowardice or courage
the one who find our way
back to this scene
carrying a knife, a camera
a book of myths
in which
our names do not appear.</i>  less

It may be called Earth but Ours is a planet of water.

Series of underwater sculptures located in Grenada, West Indies. All designed to create an artifical reef.
visit www.underwatersculpture.com for full details

Tired of the cold weather? It is time to warm up! Lets go Kayaking!

For more information about Extreme Mike, please visit www.extrememike.com.

Underwater photography has been a hobby of mine since I was 12 years old. This slide show contains pictures I took in 2004, when I visited Western Samoa for part of my medical schooling. I had little   more...free time, but when I did, I was swimming whenever I had the chance.

The eel you see in one of the images got mad at my following it and ate one of my macro lenses, lol.

Music is "Mystic Whales," by Steven Wiseman  less

You`ll never beleive your eyes! An amazing cat loves scuba diving

This is an abstract 4 me 2 post but this video is a little personal(Old training days for something else(These suits used to be classified back in the day!)....Plus, Who wouldn't want to do this!

Ian Flemming would go WILD over this one!!! *smile*

This has got to be one of the best editings I have done yet! It had me laughing in stiches! Enjoy a good laugh! Jesse :)

Some of the work I do off-shore.

Scuba diving with dolphins at Grand Bahama Island. A most unique experience for scuba divers.

Skydiver gets into a bind when his parachute snags on the aircraft. Ouch! See more videos like this at: http://crashes.smartvideochannel.com

Hawaii Rest and Relaxation (R/R)

thank you

Manta Rays at the island of Nusa Penida, Bali. Scuba diving at Manta Point divesite has a great change to encouter and dive with Manta Rays.

Great Barrier Reef in 2000

Very Good swimmend lady is performing nice show under the water.She is swimming like a dolphine and with the music you can feel your self free like a fisch.

World’s first ever undersea restaurant called “Ithaa” was opened at the Maldives Hilton Resort & Spa.

The official opening of the restaurant is scheduled for 27th June 2005.

Ithaa ( which is pronounced   more...“ee-tha” and means “pearl” in the language of Maldives, Dhivehi sits five metres below the waves of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by vibrant coral reef and encased in clear acrylic walls, offering diners 270 degrees of panoramic underwater views.

Seating only 14 people, Ithaa offers one of the most intimate and exclusive dining experiences in the world. The cuisine is "contemporary Maldivian" (local spices and traditional flavours with a Western twist).

“We have used aquarium technology to put diners face-to-face with the stunning underwater environment of the Maldives,” says Carsten Schieck, General Manager of Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa. “Our guests always comment on being blown away by the color, clarity, and beauty of the underwater world in the Maldives, so it seemed the perfect idea to build a restaurant where diners can experience fine cuisine and take time to enjoy the views—without ever getting their feet wet.”  less

These poor people decided to jump off an 80 foot cliff and found out that water hurts when you hit it at 60+ mph. One of these jumpers even swam out naked because his swim trunks were ripped from his   more...body. <a href="http://12feetunder.com/Xtreme/Videos.php?13">12 Feet Under</a> proudly presents alot of cliff jumping videos  less

This funny dog doesn't mind jumping into the pool and diving 15 feet to pick up a bone

This clip was taken from BBC

Lets take a trip to San Andres Dedo de Morgan San Andres - Colombia