My whole being
is in exquisite agony
from wading into the cold ocean,
so cold it burns,
shearing up my calves,
my thighs,
I am on tiptoes
but the icy waves slap my belly
and I gasp,
my hands, arms, shoulders high
like a bird about to fly
but instead I am numb,
anchored
and I can’t see the big rocks below
but their quiet bulk terrifies me
and my pulse races,
voices on the beach
taunting, yelling,
there is nothing to do but fall forward,
the freezing curtain envelops me,
I immediately feel chased by sharks
that don’t live up here
so I scramble out,
raw and pink
pricked by a thousand pins
like a plucked animal,
god, it feels good
to be reborn into
summer again.
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