between one heartbeat
and the next
so much which hangs together
by the fragilest of threads
can reach its sudden end —
a late afternoon thunderstorm
chasing sunbathers from the beach
or a daisy’s final petal
falling onto grass.
what’s done is swallowed
by a voracious past,
but each time these feet
find their way
to that distant shore
her soulful eyes
capture me whole
and refuse to let go.
a golden disc of sun
faithful and pure crests
the thin blue line separating sea
from sky as a gust of wind
whips her ponytail
like a funeral shroud fluttering free,
the dawn’s first rays
setting her hair ablaze
just as i wake.
