NIGHTS ON THE BEACH
I felt it shelter to speak to you.
Emily Dickinson
There are nights on the beach
when you beg the ocean to tell you where you belong
There are nights on the beach
when the tide urges you to be lost at sea
There are nights on the beach
when a wave soaks more than your new red shoes
There are nights on the beach
when you sense all the rocks wounds
There are nights on the beach
when the moon is your only waning friend
There are nights on the beach
when each grain of sand seems to shift against you . . .
And there are nights on the beach
when you find a fire carefully laid and ablaze
in a cove with no one
a night of surreal warmth with no Pacific wind
a night when a man from that land meets you
spontaneous and sweet
to massage your rough
and weary feet—giving you
shelter
until dawn
