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she stands alone
-where once were four walls, a roof
wrapped in layers of blanket
-beside the water slide down which she laughed
into poolside memories -
crumbled scrap
-and pulls one blanket over her head
to protect her hair from falling flakes of filth
a feeling that comforted her in bed
while the sound machine played waves
-as drops hit her nose
a feeling fine in the confines of her shower
where the drizzle soothed her
-where the innocence of her sound machine
has been washed away
-where her bed lies miles in the distance
and where the shards of her shower door
are scattered
like the individual members of every family around her
-in wreckage
while the nearby crashing of the waves shake her
-in hiding
quivering in fear
-while the five men in uniform
stand clueless
wondering if there are any nearby survivors
-as the sound of their summon
induces a smile
as she glances in the opposite direction
at the car driven to the beach a year back
when the harmony of the seagulls' call and waves' crash
comforted her
-as a personal storm commences
as every tear she cries represents every mile in the distance
her home truly lies
realizing she is in foreign territory
realizing the board on which she stands is not the stoop of her porch
-realizing the sound of the waves
no longer comfort her
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