Dangerous Beauty

Crisp on island sand like a trout inside a fire
Flaking scales of dead skin, needing water
Needle piercing magnifiers point down on me
But jellyfish swim through the coral sea

The snorkeled had welts from unseen tentacles 
Burring of sensations through tears he could not see
He pressured his leg with sand, stepping foot on the shore
And grabbed a small bottle of vinegar

Pain flushed through his skin breaking out into hives
His throat clasped and tightened while he wheezed
Wobbling with dizziness he tripped upon the sand
Landing by beach towel choking in front me

Now a coast reminds me of pain and death
Through painted postcard summers of beauty
You swam with fished, died on land, welted to the bone
And a grave with stone in Mexico became your home