Calm. Tranquil peace.
But within a few seconds,
Calm. Tranquil peace.
But within a few seconds,
I looked behind me.
Screams from my friends and I clocked his death beckon.
He was drowning, waist deep,
but slipping under the blue
Turning white as his face
with an undercurrent looming
of a harrowing hue
from a birds-eye view
In that moment I crawled to him,
attacking the water that attacked.
And I remember diving and pushing his body aloft,
To keep his head above water,
he was gasping for air,
I looked out for help
but could see nobody there
apart from the white water and waves
washing over briefly
and the slap of the next as quickly as they left.
The waves did not cease
and while he was thrashing,
I was trying to hold up
a friend and a man-tin.
While trying to swim!
Myself now in peril.
Peril-gross-oh!
Now it’s dangerous for me!
Out of nowhere, a voice right next to us
Appeared
a man of middle age,
shrewd,
with a black beard.
“Stay calm, hold your boards”
I remember him saying-
as we held tightly to each other
as the water was swaying,
the lifeboat appeared
and within a few turns,
landed next to us over waves
coming into our space of uncertainty.
Clambering aboard
the sea consuming us,
sucking us in as if we were noodles .
Heaving onto human hands and warm flesh.
Suddenly:
towards the coast,
boats streaming,
hundreds staring
shallow calm.
Off. Sand.
handshakes, heartbeat racing, muscles
shaking, cold bodies shivering,
talking. Back onto the beach.
Away from the predacious claws of the sea.