Water lapping the slick white hull
Pumps out a tiny hole in the side
The sun beams down on the boat,
Creating a sparkle.

Warm water splashes as I release the ladder.
I clung to the rungs,
Regretting not wearing the crocs I brought with me.

My toes touch the gushy sand sooner than I thought they would.
The water swooshes around my legs.
I shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, my way through the water

On the beach,
The sand is damp from the wake of passing boats.

I run through the hot sand,
Dodging the small branches sticking out of the ground
With prickleys attached at the end.

The other side of this sand bar
Faces the gulf
The waves are rough
About a foot high

I wade into water until it is up to my knees
And sit down,
Digging my hands into the sand and shells
To anchor myself.

A wave comes
Slowly raising me along with it
Moving me a few inches back
Before placing me in the sand once again

I swim out further
Looking off into the distance at the city of Clearwater
The tall buildings barely visible.

I turn towards the beach and wait.
I can feel the wave pick me up
Carrying me with it into the shallow water.
The wave continues in front of me
Crashing into the beach.

Quickly I stand up
Just as another wave crashes into my legs.

I shuffle my feet again making the water cloudy.
I break into a run
Splashing the salt water up into my face
Causing pieces of hair to stick to my skin.
The taste of salt on my lips.

I sit down in a few inches of water,
Just where the waves come crashing into the sand.
I tip my head back,
Absorbing the warm sunshine.
Not caring that when I stand up,
Sand will be in every crevice of my body.

My hand picks up a small pink shell,
Then I throw it back out to sea.
It plops down a few feet away.

The sunlight dims,
I look once again at the city,
A fog has enveloped it,
But it wasn’t a fog.
It was rain.

I reluctantly walk back through the sand and branches.
I helped pull everything back into the boat.
The rain moves closer,
The wind picks up,
Thunder rings in the distance.
And the smell of rain is ever present.

I could see a clear divide,
A wall,
Of where it was raining and where it wasn’t.

I gripped the seat until my knuckles were white
I fixed my eyes on the water rushing past.
The wall of rain slowly moving across the water.

The waves were rough,
Coming over the bow of the boat.
A mist of salty water hitting my face.

The wind whipped my hair,
The hair tie threatening to break.
I let my hair down,
It flies up in all directions.

“WOAH!”
A big wave crashes right over the side of the boat,
Soaking everything.

The channel markers whiz by,
The boat rocks back and forth.

The sky had turned an ominous color of grey,
Threatening to crack open and pour down on us at any second.

The boat slows,
Houses coming into full view.
Land on both sides,
Safe.