grieving waters | Teen Ink

grieving waters

May 2, 2023
By willplatten1 SILVER, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
willplatten1 SILVER, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
9 articles 0 photos 0 comments

eleven. 

just a little boy. 

silhouettes of surfers cover bright colors so vivid the water's surface appeared gold. dreams of the wave flooded his mind. one day he will join them, immersed in the ocean. Paradise. 

eager to return. sparkling seas dominated by the colors of sundown.

smiles visible over the sand and under the sunset.

only the tide tells time. he’s drawn home. occurrences began. 

the boy dances in the wind. idolizing the ones paddling out further. 

pristine waters draw the worthy. 

approaching freedom, tension rises. 

focused on the good. the loyal. the water, so gentle and curious.

fractured board when the water settled. gone in the rip. 

current disguised as the reaper. 

the wildfire of imagination extinguished by impatience.

the light, in his darkness taking him too soon. 

  mourning the loss of what once was his other half. 

traveling the thoughts of denial. though his days were brief, spirit was alive. 

may the joy and enthusiasm live on forever.

And maybe find him in the rays of inferno at dusk, shining down on more crystalline waves for skilled surfers. 

and another inspired boy.


The author's comments:

With lines from “Loving Florida, Losing Florida” by Marlena Carrillo, a Pulitzer Center reporting project.


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