POEM: The Beach

White sand.
Turquoise water.
Cloudless sky.
One hundred Fahrenheit.
I’m on the beach, soaking in the sun.
I lie down on the chaise lounge,
My body and my mind are completely at ease.
I have a book in my beach tote,
But I don’t feel like reading.
I am happy just to lie here for hours.
My skin is immune to sunburn,
I don’t mind the kiss of the sun.
I go into the water.
It’s warm and welcoming.
The bottom of the ocean feels like a soft blanket.
A crab bites my foot.
Sorry little fella,
I’ll get out of your way.
I swim away.
My favorite part of a tropical vacation is swimming into the vastness.
A fellow traveler warns me about the undertow,
But on this day the ocean is calm, peaceful, unthreatening.
I spend another good deal of hours in the water....