As the waves separate and leave him standing
alone on his small rock
in the middle of the ocean,
he lets out a sigh of deep,
haunted sadness. The fractured earth
is sending harsh, jagged lines
of rending sound out
and into the open. Children play
on the line of the shore
and dance in the joyful waves
greeting their toes
as they push their feet
into the wet sand.
He watches the giant wave approach them,
the fear cloud their happy eyes,
their laughter instantly merge
into a harmony
of pure terror.
He watches them run,
pointlessly,
for the false safety
of their mothers' arms.
He shudders his cold,
rattling breath and waits
to see how long
it will take this time.