She begs us to wade out farther.
The cool water is an electric shock.
She pulls our arms toward the deep.
“How lucky are we that she loves this place as much as we do?”
He asks me with his eyes.
My muscles melt into the healing water
with each salty crash.
I look back at our crumpled pile of clothes
tiny on the shore.
Kids scoop, shovel, and squat to get their creations just right.
Parents recline, legs stretched out until just their heels dig into the sand.
I’m sure there’s laughter and screams of delight.
But like my thoughts and to-dos
the sound of distant strangers is drowned by the mesmerizing song of the sea.
Push, pull, crash, calm. Push, pull, crash calm.
The two of them venture ahead.
He teaches her how to dive under just before the waves slap the water.
She surfaces with snot and a smile smeared on her face.
He looks back at me, eyes twinkling in the sun.
The water splashes over my shins.
My hips.
I can’t resist.
I hand him my oversized hat.
She cheers as I move through the water and it moves through me.
Just before the next crash
I dive under.
Heat and hurry disintegrate
as I rise up.
Push, pull, crash, calm.
The sun dries the salt taut to my cheeks.
I reach for her hand again.
I smile at him.
I am the ocean.
Love this❤️
I felt like I was there with you reading this—just gorgeous! 🌊