A Shout in the Water

A prose poem about the shark-bait that's out there: people like you and me.

Wild sharks inhabit the salty depths
By the sunny, breezy, and foggy coastline.
Surfers, swimmers, and sailors
Come out to play and relax for a day -
Tides bringing in much life and debris
Toward the shore’s heavenly periphery.
The man-eating shark approaches
On an unsuspecting human’s horrified radar
And folks all around the once-peaceful sanctuary
Race toward the safety of land.
Vicious bites, severed limbs, and death
Can reward the most skilled ocean seeker
On an unlucky day.
As the enchanted orb makes its nightly appearance
High above the waves, rocks, and sand,
The daytime sees firsthand
The lethal marauders and their hunger
And thirst for human blood;
And humanity's failed attempts
To exist in this darkened environment.