The smell of salt sifts in the air
like the sand between my toes
onto my tongue
and invades every part of me
piercing the scales of my armour.

I am alone
on this beach and off it.

The waves begin to lick my heels
chasing me as I walk inland.
I don’t want to look
out at the abyss,
to stare at the horizon
where the sky and the sea merge into one,
only a thin blue line marking them.

Even without looking, I know
what lies behind me.

The waves crash on the sand,
tiny wet explosions,
at once hot and cold.
The power propels forth
that scent of skin and slime.
The spray jets around
to collide with my arms,
the back of my neck,
the flesh between my fingers.

I take a step back.
The water rushes
over my feet
imposing its strength upon me.
I can feel the ebb
and flow of the waves
reaching up through my eyes
and dragging me
back into the ocean
pulling at my ankles
begging me
to drown.