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Artwork by David Saaf
Words by Amy Leppo
My eyes opened with the sun’s today. It is cold. The sun is just peeking over that Atlantic. The sky is painted pink and gold while the orangy fireball emerges over a giant blue sea. As I turn around I see a woman. She is with her dog and we are both spellbound by this incredible sunrise. It is as if God created it just for the three of us...
As the morning ages, the iridescent colors fade and the sea begins to swell. Slowly the breaking sea begins to rumble in my chest. As the waves roll in and crash, I realize my purpose for the day. I walk barefoot to the shore. My feet change the color of the sand as I greet the eager tide. Finding the exact time to launch is tricky. My first attempt fails and my boat fills with water. After emptying it out, I try again and seal my boat just in time. The receding tide takes me out to the breaking point. I can no longer see beyond the first wave. I paddle hard as my mix of fear and adrenaline propel me through the sea foam and toward the vertical wall of water ready to break on me. It holds long enough for me to take a last paddle stroke and cross the break. I catch air and land with a slap. Luckily no waves were behind it. Looking back I see the woman and her dog on shore. Now they are just specs on the beach. Being so far from shore makes me feel lost. I contemplate going back but I don’t. With a deep breath, I give in to this discomfort and an unexpected feeling of peace takes over... I look around at the horizon line that could never be reached, the endless brackish water below me, at the shore... I am nothing...
After bobbing for a while, I see a place where waves are breaking consistently. The slow swells begin to take me back as my paddle purchases water. I see my ride just before I feel it. Behind me is a two story wave. It surges me forward as it crashes. My hull bounces as my speed increases. With one motion I spin, and spin, and spin...All I can see on either side of me is charging wave. She catches my edge and flips me over just to play with me. I roll up laced with seaweed and gagging from the bitter water that found every crevice in my head. As I look up I see the woman with her dog. She is smiling at me.
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