Key West

ENC1101-14

Jasmine Salley

300205594

September 17th, 2014

Dr.Taha

Key West

         It is summer 2012, in the middle of June, the summer of my sophomore year in high school. The salty, misty breeze of the Key’s coast is cool enough to make my knees go suddenly weak. I look into the cloudless, cerulean blue sky and see the flawlessness of life; in the distance, rolling clear-blue waves crash into each other with such force as that of lions in the wild preying on their next meal. I look out into the distance of the developing crests and stumble upon a paraglider and sailboat. The water reminds me of crystals glistening in the water with the sun reflecting off of it.  This place where nothing matters but what is in that little moment. The one place capable of sending my senses into an surplus of serenity. This place is The Florida Keys.

Focusing my attention to the beach, I observe older people resting on beach

chairs , children creating sandcastles or leaping in the ocean, and young couples holding hands

while walking along the shoreline. I close my eyes and take in all of my surroundings and run

my fingers slowly and care freely through my long braids , as I take in the smell

of the salty, evening air that tickles my nostrils. I feel like a bird , gliding  limitlessly in the

wind without a care in the world, comforted by the echo of the rolling waves, distant

voices, and laughter of people nearby.

“Let’s get in the water,” a young girl says.

“It’s so beautiful out!” an old woman yells.

Feeling the warmness of the mid-evening day, I let myself captivate the blazing rays of the sun, while opening my mouth to the bitterness of the sticky evening air. I am taken back by the soothing, relaxing, peaceful atmosphere. I wander along, and the grainy, slick, brown sugar sand pulls my bare feet under and leaving a perfect inscription. Comforted by the sounds of the ocean, the musical pounding of the waves blocks all of my worries and, I become enveloped by

everything around me.

Taking a seat down on the warm and uneven dry sand, I run my hand softly over the smooth surface, leaving a trail from my fingertips. I pick up a handful and sift it from my palm slowly, feeling the grittiness of sand with each finger. Then deciding to be bold and daring, I stand and begin to brave the thunderous waves that are a few feet away. Running into the ocean with enthusiastic glory and absolute excitement, I stick my bare feet into the sea and am taken back by the shocking coolness of the water; I almost shout. Bringing myself to a complete halt at mid-calf, I then march through the soft currents that splash upon my legs. An lavishness of mutual, vibrantly colored, and variously sized fish swarm around my feet.  I then again get excited. Their bodies brush my leg with carelessness as they strive to get from one