Ruins, they sit there

A sunken barge

It guards my pathway,

As if to tell me

“This is my area, my hole

Cut from the land,

A cavern removed

In the shape of a horseshoe”

 

There’s a mountain of sand

That I’ve yet to climb,

At eight, fifteen feet seems like fifty

It’s a slope, functioning

No beach, no sunbathers

No umbrellas or middle agers with coolers

 

Leave pearly white sands for tourists

This is reality

It’s dark, and it’s muddy

The river is filthy!

Boats are flanked by fish long deceased

There are no parties

Out here in the pits

Just a sunken dredging barge and me

 

We’re far from cities,

This downed vessel and me

As I reach the top, I look down below

Much has been gained, little lost

My feet are bleeding,

River water infects

“To hell with these worries

Band-aids can wait

Me and this wreck?

We’re fearless.”