Shorebreak

we stayed out past operational hours,

waiting for surges that could reach our highest ambitions.

but nothing grew taller than the swell of our loud laughter.

the Pacific wasn’t the only body to wrestle on the sand– all of us did.

chest and palms thudding on cold wet ground, grains sticking to wrists and eyebrows.

the beach always beckoned for trouble

when the night had nowhere else to go. and in our eyes

we commanded it all. with arms stretched out,

the water receded in return.

it wasn't until the waves pulled back that truces settled.

amidst the PCH wind, everything should brittle and blow away.

but here we all were, solid youth bundled by nothing but bone and punchline.

and here was the vastness of which we suddenly seemed unworthy of.

we tried to find the word for the moment just before shorebreak,

when the ripple rushes towards you, spilling metallic foam

over every inevitable tendon. but our minds drew a blank.

we could only huddle there in silence, small and unsuspecting

against the eternity of deep deep blue.

Geologist at the Beach