i am a bitter night

the ocean closes in on me tonight
wave by wave.
i hear them crash
upon the beach.
the shoreline stretches
around me,
land seems so distant
now.
this patch of sand
gets progressively wetter,
this onyx night
gets progressively cooler
as the wind picks up
across the waves.
they rush toward me,
the winds,
as everything else seems to do as well.
there is no life left here.
the waves make the only sound i hear.
the moist air that assaults
my being
is the only proof of life.
i am going to stand
my ground
here on this beach
tonight.
i am going to persuade the moon
to release its grip
on these waters.
i am going to sit upon this sand,
damp, alone, unprotected.
shivering, aching, longing.
i am going to sit on this sand
until the water backs away
and solid earth takes me up
in a warm embrace.
i will sit here 'til sunrise.