Beware
By Leena Shah
Waves crashing, in cadence to one’s footsteps
So virginal, yet they possess a certain mystical trait
Oh, so tempting to an innocent soul,
That its seductiveness allures a man into the sea
And so, he is an incompetent being
His body glides into the salt water,
Like a hawk’s wings gliding through the sky
While his toes try to grip onto the wet sand
And the lifeguard chair gets smaller in the distance
At last, the ocean has captured him as its prey
Soon his mind drifts away in tranquility,
As thoughts of his divorce and his precarious job
Become erased from his mind like his anniversary date
He gives himself entirely to the blue so that,
When a ferocious wave approaches him,
And prepares to attack, as if in a battle
He thinks he’s being carried into safe arms
But, instead, the wave swallows him in one monstrous chomp
He falls hard to the ground and his vision goes black
Inside, vivid pictures raid his mind,
While a robust vacuum sucks his existence
Like the dust from underneath his shabby couch
Water pours into his lungs, burning them below
While his hands flop in desperation above
At this moment, the lifeguard is conveniently asleep
And people too busy chatting to see him
It is all over now; he is gone.
The sea patiently anticipates another victim,
To rejuvenate and start its vicious cycle anew
Today it has someone in mind
Hope to see you soon.