Coney Island Beach People Still Life
alan catlin
On the beach, in the center of a ring of
people looking down is a woman whose
neck is bent back, eyes rolled all the way
inside, thin blue lips touching the lips of
the lifeguard, pinching her nose closed,
breathing in, short deep breaths, unaware
of everything around him but the woman
turning cold beneath him. At the edge
of the circle a young girl and her brother
are tightly holding hands, tears in the
corners of their eyes; they know what is
happening and what it will mean.
