Purple Sky

It started out like the trip from hell.
Driving for hours down a monotonous interstate,
The afternoon punctuated only by
Polite conversation and the stench of wildfires
That we'd heard about on dire reports in the news.
It hadn't rained for weeks.
And it wouldn't anytime soon.
There was just a feeling of despair in the air,
And everyone was ignoring it.

Somehow it got worse.
An accident, hitching a ride to the doctor, shots and pills.
I walked gingerly, in a bit of pain and embarrassment too.
What else could go wrong?
Oh, just wait.
Some guy in boots stepped on my foot on the dance floor.
Then I dropped an entire margarita on myself at the bar.
I hadn't even had a chance to get drunk.
The stars were aligned against me, it seemed.

But then I looked up and saw
The real stars in the sky, over the long stretch of beach.
It was a purple sky, the kind of sky you only see
On those gentle summer nights, when the
Moon is merely a sliver that emits a touch of light, and the
Clouds are just streaks in the distance.

And on that soft summer night, under a purple sky,
As the waves rhythmically drummed a beat in time with the
Music that was suddenly circling around us,
I saw a man, with tan skin and a warm smile,
Sparkling hazel eyes and wavy brown hair.
He reached out to me, his arms open, and
We started to dance.

I forgot about my injured feet,
I forgot about the spilled drink.
I forgot about feeling awkward or self-conscious.
I danced, on that soft night,
Feelings those gentle winds,
Not worrying about anything
Because of his confident step and strong arms
Leading me in the movement.
Under a purple sky that was,
In that moment,
As beautiful as any sky could be.