Yesterday
I went to the beach.
As I walked down the hill,
I saw all of our friends
swimming, jumping, and laughing
in the ocean.
Once you layed eyes on me,
you ran out,
water dripping from your shirt
and swimming trunks
and glistening on your olive skin.
You insisted on spending time with me,
even though you could've been in the water
with the rest of them.

We walked all the way down the ocean
and climbed steadily onto
the wet rocks.
Ocean foam splashed upon them
as we sat there, hand in hand,
sometimes with your arm
slung over my shoulder.
We talked and laughed and had fun,
and at that moment it was so relaxing.
I didn't want to be anywhere else
except there, with you, in your arms,
surrounded by the beautiful scenery.

We stayed there for a while
until a family politely asked us to move
so they could snap a family picture.
I remember they were all dressed
in a light blue -- one that accented
their forms against the roaring waves
of the ocean.
We climbed back off,
and every time I thought I was going to
slip, you caught me or helped me
by grabbing my hand and leading me
along, all the way down to the pier.

All of us went to watch the cruise
ships pass by.
We waved frantically
and watched their smiling faces wave back,
a nice, warm growth of their departure.
Then, Hannah said,
"This is such a Titanic moment,"
which I then realized once
I stood on the concrete,
the waves just below me,
as you grabbed onto my waist.
Hannah and Todd,
Me and You,
Josh and Alecia.
We all let our arms flair out,
as if we were little birds getting
ready for flight.
Behind us, you hummed
'My Heart Will Go On'
which made us all laugh
like hyenas.

After, we walked back and played
vollyball for a while.
I have to admit, I wasn't good at it
at all.
I never could hit the ball high enough
over the net, and I was actually
making our team lose.
Thank goodness for Todd;
he was on a roll,
slapping the ball onto the sand
with a hard tuff,
making us score 5 points in a row.

After a while,
I gave up and decided to
go into the water.
I didn't go all the way in;
just up to mid-calf.
I stayed there and
dug my toes into the moist
sand as clumps of seaweed
floated past, and looked out into
the deep blue sea that stood
before me.
I couldn't help but think of freedom,
of wondering what it would be like
to be a bird.
The wind smelled slightly of
old people, salt, and fish,
which was typical for our
Florida beaches.

You thought something was upset
or something, I suppose,
because you came and swooped me up
from behind.
You wrapped your arms around
my waist
and nuzzled your head into
my neck. The wind
wouldn't stop blowing,
so all my curls flew into your face,
but I don't think you really minded.
You stayed there with me,
abandoning the game,
and at that moment,
I kissed you.
I turned around and planted
one on your lips,
which were wet and
tasted like salt from the ocean.

Once we left,
I could still taste the salt
on my lips. It was like
a reminder of some sort
of what a wonderful time we'd had.

Definitely a night I
never want to forget.


a.m.