A late morning push of air through the pussy willows
And the smell of the sand
And the quiet rush of waves onto the beach,
And I thought I saw you out of the corner of my eye
Looking out through the glass of the sliding door,
Your cotton shawl draped over your shoulders…

Ghosts of colorful kites and wide laughter,
Care free dancing and crackling night time fires
Tickled that place that keeps my tears,
And one fell
Missing you

I pressed my toes into the wet gritty sand
And replayed my memories of you picking up sun bleached seashells
And putting them in a glass jar
To take the smell of the beach home with you

Even in the beauty of that day, my heart had begun to break
As the sun sneaked by above us
Turning moments into shadows
Teaching me the preciousness of right now

And without thinking
I started collecting seashells
So that I could feel you on that day again

May 24, 2004