The Shoreline

Take me to the place where

My toes meet the sand,

And my hands discover castles

Where the water rushes to the surface

There you’ll find me

With my feet sinking down, down

As I walk and splash, walk and splash

I can hear my mother calling

But it’s time for me to catch my wave,

My visceral wave consumes me

The euphoric song of the sea illusions me

And takes me to that deep place

The hard rocks

My feet slip and bleed

I get caught in the under current,

Marred by seaweed

The taste of salt burns my nose

As the water threatens to choke my hope

In the distance I hear a myriad of voices

That sound like crashing waves

On the horizon as the sun sets

The Voice calls

I fight and steadily race back to the shore

Gliding in on the suddenly peaceful waves

Crawling in on all fours

With my hands sinking down, down

There you’ll find me

And in the distance I see

A sunrise

A chance to begin anew