The Man on the Beach

No one else walked by the sea.

The man had walked
and walked
on the beach
with a large, heavy backpack.

The people of the community,
in their large houses,
watched him from their windows.

No one else walked by the sea.

Only he,
with slow steps
and a broken leg.

He walked and walked
throughout the sunset,

until the stars
shone.

The people, from their windows,
grew tired
and fell asleep standing up,

while the man
disappeared
into the glow of the moon.

A poem by Pemba Umoja