whale watching

At the front of the boat
We were told the water
Would get
Choppy

And we’d get wet
(In case we weren’t familiar with water)

We picked up speed and
The squeals of the human seals
Filled
The bow

It was fun at first, but then
They left
To sit on the polyester seats
With a bag of potato chips
And binoculars
That would do them no good
Sitting down and turned in reverse

I was the only one who stayed
as it got colder
And I was covered
In salt
With everyone looking at me
Like I
Was crazy

Why was I alone?
I couldn’t do this at home.
But I could sit on my ass in a plastic chair
Anywhere
While looking at a photo
Of the ocean

A teenager with a red vest
Approached me to tell me
It would only get worse
And that was his hint
That I should retreat too
There were plenty of Doritos
For everyone

But that’s not how you spot a whale
If you want to live
To see a monster
In its own habitat
That’s not how you try
to drown
To know you are
alive