Did I dream this?
The sand underneath the fingernail
The sound of a wave crushed by a lazy jetty
Seagulls in the distance race the sun
And the children were beside me
They were tumbling at play
They were suddenly grown walking at the bite of the sea
And you leaned against me
And you sought my hand
And you sighed
We were ready for rest
We were ready to start it all over again

Did I dream this?
Sunlight through a quiet room, it caught you by the kitchen, by the dining room, by the bay window
You were standing, you were reading, something with your hands
And I want to say it was quiet, I want to say I heard something that mattered
But I couldn’t stop looking, I was in the sun with you
The looking and the breath, the place where your hair fell
And I can’t say it was beautiful because of the sound
I didn’t want to interrupt the silence
And fill it up with something other than what it was

Did I dream this?
The terror of time and it’s relentless pace
The impeccable minute where nothing happens
And the unforgiving progress here on the skin
The ache of a body losing yet another degree of freedom
Night comes too soon but exhaustion is never fast enough
Barrel into sleep with the thought of a memory I do not want to have

Perhaps this is my life’s work, a smattering of thoughts tossed into what I should be forgetting