BEAUTY OF THE PRISONER
We sit side by side
watching the soul of yet
another day
dip into the darkness that swallows it whole.
Every.
Day.
The moment the sea latches
on
to our consciousness
we are pulled down.
Salt water pouring into our lungs.
Trying to kill
our
light.
We resist.
Thrashing through
arms
reaching at our legs
scratching open our calves.
The dunes become waves.
Crashing into our legs to prevent us from reaching
our destination.
We stop at the uppermost of the hill.
Panting in triumph.
Then we watch again,
as the prisoner is brought back
down.
—from 2014 Rattle Young Poets Anthology
