the last time he sees the Pacific
will be just after dawn
a Sunday verging on May
tide withdrawn so far
his eye forces the primeval
crabs claiming divested rock
anemones in vivid recoil
a chill where sand meets sky
that seeps inward until it bears him
to a metaphor he cannot enter
swirls of yearning
striving until striving frees his heart
& he senses absolution
as intimate & distant as mist
until gravity loses its sway
& all that remains is
Cadence Collective: Long Beach Poets 