a different sea

despite the cold,
despite it being the month
of January
you take your shoes off
and walk alone
the empty stretch
of grey sand.
you approach
the wicked roll of ocean,
listen to
the violence
of its surf, pounding,
punching
the earth,
no longer soft
with summer, no longer
a clear green, no longer
holding out its
arms of waves saying
embrace me. the world
has changed,
this is a different sea,
it's not the same,
and neither are you.