By Emily Bays
(Photo by Tyler Scheviak on Unsplash)
Featured in Caesura 2020: Imago
Reflection
The water is green and still, I see my reflection in it.
I cannot see the bottom.
I dip my toe in,
A little ripple stirs the surface.
My reflection quivers,
But it doesn’t go away.
I take a deep breath.
Air fills my lungs,
I hold it for a moment,
Then slowly let it out.
I try again, another breath,
I bounce a little,
But I don’t leave the shore.
I feel the sand beneath my toes,
Sharp rocks dig into my feet.
I hear the water crashing
Against the distant cliffs.
I wish I could see the sandy bottom.
I cannot see past my reflection,
But know there is something deeper.
The warm sunlight burns my face,
I could find relief in the water.
It will be cool and dark,
It will be calm and still,
If I can go beneath the waves.
I hop from one foot to the other,
As the stones burn my feet.
I jump,
My feet hit the water,
I gasp a deep breath,
My toes touch the sand,
The water cools my face.
I look down at the surface,
My reflection smiles up at me.
Emily Bays is an English/Writing/Honors Humanities triple major at Indiana Wesleyan University. She has been writing since she was five years old and wrote her first novel when she was 12. When she is not reading or writing, she enjoys drumming and practicing archery. She is also the proud owner of a fluffy cat named Luna.