Sand
the sand was soft.
i dragged my feet deeper and deeper
i couldn’t stop pacing
i couldn’t pick up my feet.
i wanted the sand to bury me
to suffocate me and swallow me whole
my mouth full and my breath silent.
i wanted to be buried deep enough
so the tide could grab me
to carry me away
to take control of me.
everyone else got dragged away
i couldn’t control it.
now sand just erodes around me
and the tide keeps leaving
and the shore keeps changing
and i’m not suffocating
and i can’t control it.
you can hear me breathing
i’m still here
no one else is
i’m stuck in the sand
but at least it’s still soft.
2024 Poetry Contest Fifth Place Winner click here