He stared down
into the dark, twisting waves, as if
a voice spoke to him from
the watery depths
below.
It seemed to pull him in and
pool in him.
It swam circles
in his curiosity.
The Sun stabbed at the waves, washing rainbows over
glimmering abalone.
Translucent bubbles danced
in its light.
Fishbones lay quietly on the ocean floor, forgotten.
Starfish whispered to him, tales
of how they had lost their arms to the
creatures that walk in the sun.
Urchins complained about the oil pooling in their waters.
Sharks gave him the silent treatment.
And despite the fact that he too had legs and walked in the sunlight,
he knew he was not made for the sun,
but for the sea.
And the waves whispered his name with
salt and foam.
This poem was written in 2016.
"Sea" was published in Rose State College's Pegasus 2016.
