When the Boogeyman Looms

i come to the sea

when the boogeyman looms

when he threatens to gulp me up,

or drown me in his sticky drool,

and chew and spit out all the not-good-parts of me,

sucking my bones clean,

like buffalo wings.

i come to the sea because

it is bigger than him,

it's roar louder,

and mostly

because i found out

that he can't swim.

-j. a. hongo, november 2020