On The Beach
by Eleanor Coy
 
I have never seen a sky so grey
Like the skin of an elephant, pregnant with rain.
I have never been here before.
I had never imagine rocks like these, jagged, aggressive,
Jutting out starkly, like the hipbones of an anorexic girl.
A warning perhaps. Or nature’s way of telling us to keep away.
The sea is furious, the waves are dragons
Rearing up angrily, jade-green, iron-grey
Crashing incessantly against the rocks, trying to break down the defences.
What do they want from me?
I know what I want with them.
The air is brackish, moist, whipped by wind
Sending piles of lacy foam skittering along the pebbles.
This is sinister.
Seagulls wheel overhead, screeching like widows,
Demonic and grasping.
I am alone.
And I will not die today.