The Sea at Night

I had feared the sea,

I had feared the night.

I could hear from my bedroom window,

the great sea curling and,

the deep wind whistling in the dark.

I longed to be brave,

to step out into blackness,

to then gain sight,

for I knew, that nature would be

my longest companion,

My first love,

the thing that would be with me

while I passed,

the thing that I would become

once I passed.

The oysters at night

glistened like little light bulbs,

canary yellow and smiling.

I could smell them:

earthy, salty, fleshy.

I could feel them,

like scary, slippery unknown things

and yet, they made me want to love.

They made me want to be brave

and see in the darkness.

To kiss under the moonlight

with the curling sea,

the whistling wind,

and the smiling oysters.