There were shells along the break between sand and water
Pink, grey, blue, purple, and white stuck together in the wet sand
I told myself I'd take one before I left
One caught my eye -- purple glass but it was broken
I put it back down and kept walking

Another caught my eye
It reminded me of a blue whale -- dark blue with white on the tip
I held it in my hands, the inside cupped the wet sand
I waited with it in my stretched out arm for the sea to soak up the sand
The water was cold, it was one of the first warm days of late winter

I brought the shell with me up the hill of sand and stared off into the grey sky
The shell in my hand, it had a chip I didn't see before
Maybe it just got there or maybe I refused to notice it
I pressed my thumb onto the thin surface and
Crack
The shell snapped in half

I found it
I took care of it, cleaned it, cradled it
It was broken to begin with and I chose not to notice
Then I wanted to test its fate until it broke in two
And I threw it into the open sand, away from the others