Salt

I met you by the sea,
Waiting under a moon
Tinted by blood,
Surrounded by stars lit.
A million candles burning,
Tiny flames.

Your arms extended,
Waiting to take flight.
To swim the ocean before us,
To reach the horizon,
The twilight where sky and sea
Are home.

We took our shoes off
To feel the sand beneath.
Tiny rocks and shells
Grounded, softened by the waters
That we hoped would save us too.

Clothes strewn about,
Footprints swallowed by
Hungry foam.
The mouth of the Ocean
That craved us,
Beckoned us.

We jumped in head first,
Taking swift and hurried strokes
Forgetting our breaths,
Heartbeats steadying to a silent rhythm
So that our eyes could finally see
Home.

-Noemi E. Garcia Rigsby