Envelope in hand
Fumbling to get at its contents
I don’t even notice the surf
The wave peters out
Just before it reaches me
Its last energy spent
As bubbling foam dissipates
My muscles relax
Tension leaves my body
While the ocean recedes
Back down the beach
I turn over the paper again
Check the wording again
The test was negative
The test was negative
I’m going to live
Another wave comes
Stronger than the last
Soaking just one shoe
Which makes a delightful squish
As I stride back up to the house
Good tidings in hand
Seaside Creek Beach
Mendocino County
Pacific Coast Highway
California, United States of America
Taken during travels, 2020
Fortunately, I haven’t had quite this experience… though I did once have to wait 24 hours once to learn why it seemed so urgent that I schedule a lab procedure to test for cancer. Fortunately, it wasn’t urgent, just precautionary with slim chance of discovering anything at all. In the end, there wasn’t anything.
That was an interesting 24 hours, though. So I suppose I know something about this character’s experience.
NaPoWriMo 2020
Day Seven; Poem Two
Fourteen poems total
#stayhome #washyourhands #writepoetry