Element

Stewing in the sizzle of salt water,
cold propulsion
against this undeniable fluid
makes of me something more animal,
with the creeping, sad persistence of breath.

A fish eyes my thin fingers,
my slow-motion pounce.
With a thin shiver,
it’s away to the murk and shine of distance.

On the sand,
salty air plays cold
along the contours of my wet skin;
hairs rise
like stems to the sun.