Amphibious

 

I was a small thing

watching the shifty line

between ocean and sand

a changing place

where I could find home

tides pulling under

the loose earth

of my body

below the surface, it was quiet

I held my breath as she rocked me

lulled by her heartbeat

 

Waking on my back

a flock of nurses in white

floated through the room

 

When I came out of surgery,

my first breaths were shallow

I was born in the ocean

taking my first steps

on land