deliverance in a seashell

almost slender fingers reaching for the basket full of seashells,
the only way out.
I grab one of the bigger ones
—hoping for louder waves crashing against my eardrums,
louder, louder, louder,
taking me away from this stifling existence;
hoping the sound of the restless sea would drown out the impending to-do list of endless tasks
waiting to grab my weak ankles and drag me back into the grey of existential dread.

so, I stick the seashell to my ear,
breathe in, breathe out,

in and out,

in and out,

in and out,

anchor myself into a few moments of ease,
yearn for salty air, screeching seagulls, a serenade of crashing waves and parched sand,
and soak up the winter sun.
apricity.

I cling onto the few moments of sweet solitude
allowing me to keep my sanity

okay, time’s up. I know you need more,
but the pressing matters won’t stop pressing against the back of your mind,
and the front of it and every other side they’ll find,
so just let the waves crash in,
flood your brain with much-needed nothingness,
and keep going.

don’t worry. at least you’ll always find the seashells
just where you left them,
and the soothing sea waves right next to your eardrums

deliverance in a seashell