I came here with the seagulls 

I’m a born city-dweller 

but the water crashes

in a way the late night sirens can’t.

At the top of my to-do list are

Switzerland

and every peninsula surrounding the Adriatic Sea.

The hustle and bustle push me to thrive

but the seagulls just fly

sandwiched between the two great blues.

Have you ever seen a bird call a cab?

I didn’t think so. 

Just the thought of being one with nature

used to make my mouth taste like sand

and yet, here I am

I am here with the gulls

because the ocean ripples at a steady rate that some deeper part of me craves.

Have we all forgotten what this world has to offer

outside the walls of concrete and smog?

Though we may not know why,

it's all here for us--

five letters full of the beautifully pure.