Shadows

He looks at her wistfully, wishing he could
ask her out, but she would
probably be offended and laugh at him.

     The baby turtle races along the cool mud,
     hearing the claws of the ghost crabs pursuing him,
     feeling the shadows of the circling gulls.

He was cute, and she dreamed that
he would ask her out.
But things like that never happened.

     Mother Ocean washes over him.
     He basks in her warmth,
     becomes One with her.

He signs the receipt and hands it back to her,
smiles and
walks out the door.

     Then She withdraws,
     leaving him stranded once again
     in the cold empty air.