Liquid sun scatters gold shards
to the beat of big band swing
jump-jiving across a rising tide.

The Atlantic swells over our ankles
eager to drag us in, to seize
us in its muscular embrace.

But the sand beneath our feet
slips away
tilting us backward
suddenly off kilter.

We stumble, seeking solid footing
each on our own.
I’ve fallen to my knees.
White foam cascades rough 
and indifferent as a cat 
playing with its small prey.

I laugh as I rise up,
saltwater swirling my thighs.
We’re so much older now.

You reach for me as we advance
into a sea the color of sage
shimmering silver over amber,
a celebration of the ancient earthly 
chemistry making everything possible.

A massive wave rolls rapidly forward
soon to overpower us
with our precarious footing.
You squeeze my hand 
and now we’re lifted skyward
floating above the shifting seabed.
This is us.
Once lost, now found
soaring in a gold-flecked
gleaming green sea.