In my memory, distant though it is, I was undisturbed there.
Surrounded by sand packed hard, smooth as polished glass,
Yet soft underfoot, so it was pleasant to walk across.
At the edges of the sand were waters that gently
Undulated in a rhythm timed by the quiet sliver of moon
Hanging in the sky, and dense thickets of pines and palms.
I could barely see the structures they concealed.
What existed beyond my sightline was of no interest;
I was wholly without cares on that summer night.
As I looked up, I saw a velvet expanse reminiscient
Of even earlier days when, as a child, I could linger
Outdoors until the last, aching breaths of day gave way
To night's embrace; I had no fears of the darkness then.
Perched on a stool on the sand, once again, I was calm.
We sat together, talking of things that didn't matter,
Around a tiny hut topped with desiccated palm leaves,
Inside which stood a man with a slight chin stubble.
He poured us simple, cold, strong drinks that cut
Through the warm, sticky air of an island night,
And gently nudged me into a state of fuzziness,
Of uncaring, of laughter at nonsense, of ease.
There was little to choose from, so choosing was
No burden at all, as it would become in my life,
Over the decades, when I was faced with forks
In the road before me, and forced to decide.
No, on that night, protected on all sides,
By water, forest, sand, soft moon and purple sky,
I felt that my life would roll along as it should.
As we drank to the lapping melody of the water,
To the hum of the flying things dancing in the trees,
We had no idea that our lives would take us
Down diverging roads, never to meet again.
That stretch of sand is now a golf cart path.
The tiki bar was replaced by toilet for bathers.
But in my mind, I and the beach are still as they were.
That long ago night, when all that mattered
Were the feel of condensation dripping on my hand,
The tang of liquor and citrus nibbling my tongue,
Light breezes kissing my neck and shoulders,
And no distance to drive nor mistakes to be avoided,
Stays with me so many years later, because then,
In that place and time, I was undisturbed.
Surrounded by sand packed hard, smooth as polished glass,
Yet soft underfoot, so it was pleasant to walk across.
At the edges of the sand were waters that gently
Undulated in a rhythm timed by the quiet sliver of moon
Hanging in the sky, and dense thickets of pines and palms.
I could barely see the structures they concealed.
What existed beyond my sightline was of no interest;
I was wholly without cares on that summer night.
As I looked up, I saw a velvet expanse reminiscient
Of even earlier days when, as a child, I could linger
Outdoors until the last, aching breaths of day gave way
To night's embrace; I had no fears of the darkness then.
Perched on a stool on the sand, once again, I was calm.
We sat together, talking of things that didn't matter,
Around a tiny hut topped with desiccated palm leaves,
Inside which stood a man with a slight chin stubble.
He poured us simple, cold, strong drinks that cut
Through the warm, sticky air of an island night,
And gently nudged me into a state of fuzziness,
Of uncaring, of laughter at nonsense, of ease.
There was little to choose from, so choosing was
No burden at all, as it would become in my life,
Over the decades, when I was faced with forks
In the road before me, and forced to decide.
No, on that night, protected on all sides,
By water, forest, sand, soft moon and purple sky,
I felt that my life would roll along as it should.
As we drank to the lapping melody of the water,
To the hum of the flying things dancing in the trees,
We had no idea that our lives would take us
Down diverging roads, never to meet again.
That stretch of sand is now a golf cart path.
The tiki bar was replaced by toilet for bathers.
But in my mind, I and the beach are still as they were.
That long ago night, when all that mattered
Were the feel of condensation dripping on my hand,
The tang of liquor and citrus nibbling my tongue,
Light breezes kissing my neck and shoulders,
And no distance to drive nor mistakes to be avoided,
Stays with me so many years later, because then,
In that place and time, I was undisturbed.
