The salt spray

The salt spray bit

the inside of my nose,

so that I tasted the sea

without tasting the sea

and the gulls chipped away

at the bloodied midday sun

as they carved up the sky

I watched a little boy

in a big checked blue hat

build a shabby sandcastle

and then observe in shock as

the rising tide destroyed it

He was learning about fate,

and that idea

filled me with joy,

for I was no longer alone

on the distant shore.