Not So Very Far Away

My body molds to white sand
Elephant grass jutting
Like steeple spires.
Under a blue denim canopy
Gulls screech in protest
Of my presence
An intruder in their gulf home.

The world ends at the horizon
Beyond maritime journey.
At the turquoise edge
One question fades
Another begins
Demanding, stubborn
The eternal “why?”
The answer waits
Not so very far away.

It is best to close your eyes
Pulse with the surf
Inhale the briny breeze
Fill your lungs deeply
Breathe
Until it pains you
Makes you ache
For what you will never be.

They say pirates rode these waters
Plundered cargo
Sent graceful schooners
To the forlorn bottom.
I say pirates work their thieving yet.
I lost treasure here
All my presumption, decaying
Not so very far away.
Stepping into the rhythmic tides
I am connected to old bones
Long dead
Fastened to rotting hulks
Crumbling history
Masts torn of proud banners
Cannon rolled, unfired, to gun ports
Not so very far away.

Tourists slather oil
Onto their pasty skin
They smile and play their music
An unholy intrusion.
This is a cemetery
I want to shout
Be still here
Very still here.

I lie on the beach
Propped on one arm
Eyes shielded
Straining to hear ancient things
The pulling of oars
Laughter of wild men
Bronzed and wicked
Not so very far away.

There is something primal here
The beach a parable of life
Steady coming, going of the tide
Marine life, alien yet magnificent.

I am only a guest here
Though I stay a lifetime
I can never go away
Not so very far away.