The twin islands of the Mokulua sit before me as I step off the beach and into the Pacific,
eluding the bluebottle jellyfish. Forward and sideways I press, beyond the crush, to where the water is calm,
to slide on top of the board and drift alongside the green sea turtle.
The turtle called Honu.
I am in the “green room.”
Above me, white clouds dot the blue sky. The Hawaiian sun warms the aqua bay to 77 degrees. I wait as the waves caress my skin, and soon a massive blue wall of water rolls towards me, and the juice thrusts me back towards shore and releases me to duck dive and cutback into the soup. The adrenaline rush is epic. I paddle back to savor another set, replaying the adventure like a favorite song
until it gets messy and my fever breaks
missing the men in gray suits
my noodle arms signaling shaka to the spongers
before I collapse
onto the sand-swept beach mat
my blue eyes, red
my red lips, blue
wrinkled skin pink
the sand, white-hot.
*Spongers- the unsung heroes of boogie boarding, taking the waves that the surfers can’t.
**The Honu or Hawaiian green sea turtle is a symbol of wisdom and good luck.
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