Meditation

She kneels upon the sand,

bare skin against glass.

The salt-foam waves lapping at her knees sting her thousand tiny cuts.

She prostrates herself,

throwing her palms against the ground,

then rears back,

hands open towards the sky.

Again,

and again,

in a worshipful dance.

Her hair,

stringy and graying,

flings around her wildly,

slapping against her wet tunic.

From her lips draws forth an undulating wail,

tears and saliva streaming down her cheeks,

her neck.

A powerful wave rolls away.

The beach shines,

then glistens,

glows with dampness,

and then there is only a dark stain.

Quickly,

she pushes her face into the dirt,

stretching her body behind her.

Lying prone,

she does not breathe.

She thinks to write something in the sand,

scraping into muddy seashells with a jagged fingernail,

three words:

With No Fear.