Of Saints and Shadows

Down to the water's edge Where we can watch all the beautiful people Sand between your toes And the sun on your back Coloring like newly split kindling We lie down on a bed of moss and rock hard and cool The land is strength feeding into bone and passion -- the spirit

I extend my arm Reaching beyond where you should still be But you're not here I wonder, where have you gone My fingers curling in the soft cotton sheets They still hold your warmth, The perfume of your skin But fading into the chill night air And all too soon the sun is breaking the horizon Just as your warmth, like a trapped memory, breaks free to disappear into the ether