It is time for me now,

to shed this cap and gown,

to wet my naked feet

on the shore

where my footprints

trail behind me,

sinking quickly into the moist,

white sand.

I turn back and they are gone.

I look out over the ocean.

I know not what dwells

beneath the surface,

where an orange sun melts

like liquid gold

into gentle waves.

But I know that it is beautiful,

and I know that I can swim.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A poet and fiction writer since she was a child, Melinda K. Bryce has always felt the power of the written word. After studying English Literature and creative writing at Western Michigan and Oakland Universities, she is now a freelance writer living outside of Detroit. She is published in various online magazines and is working on her first novel.