Long summer days
Sand between my toes.
Sun beaming down
On my ripe red skin
Vanilla caramel swirls
Running down my wrist.
Tourists collecting
Bright, sun filled shells.
Screams and laughter fill the air.
Children building
Tall, collapsing sand castles.
Pail and shovel
In their hands.
Working diligently until
The sky fades to a dark, somber blue.

On this long summer night
The shore becomes deserted.
Tourists have checked into hotels.
Children have been bathed and put to bed.
Small
Broken.
Seaweed covered shell
Is spotted from a distance.
I collect it in my hands
Cleaning it off until
It transforms to be shiny and smooth.
Taking it would be shameful.
It belongs to the ocean.
So I drop it into the shallow waters
And watch it sink
To the bottom.