National Poetry Day
Fear, Sea and Me
My first memory of the ocean
was being swallowed by a wave.
Just as Jonah was by the whale.
Trapped in the underbelly of the swell,
it was a dark place.
Time stopped.
I gulped down mouthfuls of salty water
My chest started burning from
choking and swallowing at the same time.
I resurfaced
trying to cough
every drop up.
It was over in seconds
but the fear
has lasted a lifetime.
awritersfountain 