I woke up
before the sun did.

Purple darkness blotted my vision
as I rolled out from under the
warm comforter.

The cold air seeped
through my sweater
the closer I padded to
the window.

Parting the curtains a crack,
I looked out to the parking lot
of the motel.

Thick, greenish-white mist
enveloped the pine trees
and the lonely car shop
across the street.

It was like looking through
a frosted, glass shower door.

Fog comes on little cat feet?
More like huge tiger paws.
The paws of a white tiger,
looking for lost prey.

Too bad for the tiger,
I'm too smart to get lost.

I crest the sand dune
breath catching in my chest.
A sigh of relief,
my eyes consume the sight.

The ocean is so blue.
So vast.
So loud, yet
quiet. Like white noise.

Joy bubbles up into my chest,
onto my smiling lips
and squinting eyes.

My senses buzz with satisfaction.
The smell of sunbaked sand,
of the fresh ocean air.

The wind is cold and the sun is warm.
The sand, scalding hot on
the surface, but cool once
I bury my feet deeper.

Peoples voices and seagulls calls
are muted by
the waves crashing against the shore.

The weightless blue sky,
The deep blue ocean,
and the soft white sand.
Simple enough, but
I can't look away
and I want to stay.