At the welcoming sea
Upon the sugary white sand
Under the summer sun
In the chest-high surf
The young child laughs and frolics
Jumping, diving, splashing all about,
Like some injured fish
Signals the child is sending out.
Far away an unknown menace
Detects this turmoil and responds.
Like a torpedo
Homing in on a target,
His dark shadow speeds
Hidden beneath the surface
Swiftly approaching the unsuspecting child,
Bringing death and mayhem
In rows of triangular teeth
In powerful jaws
In a wide, gaping mouth
In a sleek, muscular body
Totally devoid of a drop of mercy.
A smiling face freezes
With surprise and confusion.
As under the water
The child is now dragged,
There appears a circle of red
Staining the azure blue canvas.
The child burst through the surface
Screaming, with a face filled
With pain and untold terror.
Panicky onlookers now rush
Into the suddenly inhospitable sea
Where this perfect killing machine
May lurk amongst them still
Unknowing if possibly they
His next victim will be.
Carrying the child ashore
All bloody and torn,
The parents don't realize it yet
But the child was lucky
And they will get their wish
Because this shark wasn't trying
To kill a child
Only a fish.