The Vacation

I lay my lazy head on a soft, striped towel.
Squiggling my body back and forth to make an indentation to fit my contour.
At last, just right.
I am settled, I close my eyes and take in the sounds of muted music, children squealing and adults scolding. The smells assault my nose, picnic lunches, salt air, and cigarette smoke blowing in every direction.
My vacation begins.

Soon, I am covered in a glistening coating of sweat mixed with oils.
I roll over, again shifting on my towel to change the contour.
Ah, just right, I settle, letting the smells ans sounds take me once again.
But the sun, his purpose well done, has once again interrupted my lazy dream.
I sit and scowl.

I must arise and leave my sandy cast, trudge my lazy body to the edge,
flinging minute particles with every step.
I test the water's edge, the contrast in temperature is so great I am tempt to change my mind.
But the sun urges me on, so on I go.
Waist deep, the air is sucked from my lungs. The cold is overpowering.
I turn toward the shoreline, eager to fill my lungs with warm air.
I didn't look back.

The cold from behind engulfed me, like an icy bear hug.
And like teens playing in the water, pushed my head down under into the churn.
I was like a pebble in a whirlpool. Down to the bottom, scraping sand and broken shells.
Foam, sand, twirling around me, throwing me as one in a spin cycle.
I could not tell bottom from top. The salt was stinging places where the scraping had been.
Do I fight?

I could go limp and let this great icy bear have its way,
or I could fight my way out of his grip. But where do I go?
I am neither up nor down. Perhaps I should go sideways.
I have only a moment of air left in my aching lungs.
Decide, decide.

You silly fool, I think. Your eyes are closed.
How can you tell where you are? Open them to the stinging of the salt water
and rise to the surface.
My eyes, against my will, open to the frothy mixture holding me tight.
There!, There is a light, the sun, the same sun who drove me to this
watery tumble. I reach for it, I long for it. That sun, who in his relentless duty,
Lit my way home.

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