Written by Lucy Sorensen
Illustration by Ana Isaacs
This piece was originally published in ‘Memento Mori,’ Bossy’s 2021 print edition.
I take a deep breath,
Shhhh.
My lungs draw in,
pulling the salt, sand, and shells with me.
Shhhhhhh
I release,
spilling forwards with a poignant purpose.
I like the way it feels,
drawing in,
drawing out.
Over and over again.
I allow my breath to deepen,
creeping down,
down,
down.
Shhhhhhhhh
I exhale,
stronger, more forceful.
My waves kick, curl, crumble,
erupting past the previous sets.
Crashing against the rocks,
the shallows,
sometimes the shore.
But only sometimes.
It feels good,
go on,
further…
Fill the shore,
the wind whistles.
My eyes flutter shut, as I lustfully dream,
of pouring onto the soft sand,
brushing past the blunt grass,
towards the cool cement,
to finally slip through the streets…
Stop.
I sigh,
silencing the whispers in the
breeze.
I know I can’t transcend the shore.
Shhhhhhh.
I sink back,
falling further,
further,
into the darkness, the cool, the deep.
Shhhhh,
Inhale.
Shhhhh,
Exhale.