slinking back into old habits
like wading in a pool
a toe in the shallow end
a month ago
up to my knees
last week
a leap into the deep end today
water over my head
and all around me
swimming laps like a pro
old arms reach out
for an embrace
old teeth
shown through a smile
and a feeling
that reaches
through the flesh
and touches the soul
absolution
resolve
and a long-awaited
sense of inner peace.

You know, the minute the glow of the weekend wears off... you are faced with the less glorious elements of the real world.

a little girl
stands on the beach
feet buried
in the loose white sand
eyes fixed on the ocean
watching the white caps
rock back and forth
deep blue-green water
turbulent yet calming
the little girl stands there
the loose sand becoming damp
soon the water washes in
to touch her ankles
and before long,
she can see
large waves in the distance
towers of blue-green water
and she wiggles her feet
cemented in the sand
and the towering wave draws closer
and she tries to free herself
and then stops
pauses
stares at the wave
eyes fixed on that blue-green ocean
and she breathes deep and looks forward
arms outstretched
a smile on her face
and in an instant she welcomes the wave
as it rises tall
and crashes over her
as the water receded
the girl was gone
but there in the sand
were the foot prints
of a little girl
engulfed by something
greater than herself
something
she could only welcome
and never break free from