Waves of Retribution

Cassandra Dorien

You skip along the shore, breathing in the salty wind,

collecting clams and something bleached white, you hum, contently free.

The albatross screeches as waves moan, awakened and alive.

Debris bounces about the sea,

as you fill a bucket with objects of the world,

stepping over creations left by man, you reach the tides.

A horseshoe crab washed up with the tides,

your mouth twists in disgust as you listen to persistent wind.

You hear the shrill cries of seabirds circling the world—

gliding through the air appearing entirely free.

The dawn sky takes on a red hue as herons start flying from the sea.

You move closer as the water comes alive.

The sky turns deep crimson, waves foaming out the mouth—now alive.

Clouds converge, the shore shivers, yet you inch closer to the tides,

entranced by the chaos of an azure sea.

A storm is nearing, yet the albatross hovers in the wind.

A bucket of life remains in your grasp—lost but not free.

Creatures squirm out of the sand, entering a vengeful world.

You feel salty waters devouring your knees as She emerges from the world.

A figure of the sea and wild skies above, She is alive,

slithering through shadowy waters Her cerulean eyes are trapped, but is She not free?

Fish jump, dolphins breach, sea lions bark as She grows in the tides.

You tremble, trapped within a gust of wind,

transfixed by the overwhelming life, you float deeper into the sea.

She strips your bucket of its contents, releasing them to the sea,

spitting the plastic back into a far too human world.

The water now circles your waist as She whispers words carried by wind.

“Long before you our world of awe has existed, brimming with life. Are we not now alive?”

Waves begin wailing as anger consumes the tides.

“You’ve all believed the world was yours to keep for free.”

Dragged completely into the deep, nothing seems to be free.

Things mistaken for jellyfish contaminate the sea,

synthetic creations wander the tides,

artificial nuisances now outweigh this world.

Wounded life swims beneath your feet barely alive.

Eyes have opened only when forced by Her: The Sea, The Earth, and The Wind.

Composed and unmoving She stands in Her tides.

You no longer feel alive or free,

as your body is swallowed by the Sea.