by Elise Chen
Crack
scaly flippers
a shelter
on my back
I emerge
from the white surface
Sandy
rough
Slow but steady
My journey begins
now
A fork in the road
The ebb and flow rips us away
crashes out to sea
left
and right
Talons and claws
pinchers and jaws
The night sky
hides what lurks
beneath
From the lurking shadows
and their hidden teeth
The worries and monsters
I fear will bite me
when my shell
Is at its worst
It’s all black
the seawater
stains
my eyes
But there is a glistening
That lights up
my eyes
The song
that calls me
to the tide
leads me away
from the dangers
to the deep blue
The melody of the ocean
said to lead
those
to their fate
each note
whispers directions
And leads me
Far
Far away
from the troubles
beneath
the waves
The flow of the rhythm
creates a current
to float me
home