I glide toward the sea
The waves lapping at my toes
My feet sinking in the spongy brown sand
The mixed smell of salt and fish filling my nose
I hear seagulls calling overhead to one another
I glide father in, and finally escape

With the water surrounding me, I escape
I surface, and all around me is wide open sea
Going back under, I peer down and see a shell, and then another
I dive down, my toes,
sticking up in the air, until I’m completely submerged, blowing bubbles out of my nose
I glide toward the bottom and then I am finally there, my feet landing in the spongy sand

I reach down and grab hold of a shell, carrying up with it some sand
I see the sun’s rays filtering in through the water, then I surface, the end of my escape
smelling the air, salt fills my nose
I look about and notice that all that surrounds me is the sea
the glimpse of land tells me where to go, I swim, feeling the water glide through my toes
having a day like this makes me want to have another

I reach the sandy beach, kids are playing in the sand while parents talk to one another
I climb out of the water and up onto shore where I lay in the hot sand
closing my eyes all I feel is the tips of my toes
I touch the sand, and escape
I dream of the sea,
the sand, the seagulls, all the smells that fill my nose

but I awaken, the tip of my nose
topped with sand, people are helping one another
pack up for the day, the sea
now darker, doesn’t look as warm and inviting as before, the sand
isn’t as warm as it was earlier, I can’t escape
I pick myself up out of the sand, I follow the other people, dragging my toes

I walk along the beach, little sand crabs nipping my toes
I say goodbye to the waves, the sand, everything that fills my nose
when I take a deep breath, I want to just escape
to here, to get away from the city forever, to build another
home, here, in the sand
only me, and the sea

my days at the sea come to an end, no more dipping my toes
into the water, no more lounging in the sand on a hot afternoon, the tip of my nose
in the warm sand, I will come back another year, to escape once again