A step away from forever

Our venture into a world away from home.

I see the shoreline, the water’s edge as it laps against the white sands once held only in my dreams. Long has it been since I have gazed upon the edge of the world in its vastness. The salt spray tickles my nose, its scent of ocean caressing shore is pungent as it lingers above that which locks me firmly within its grasp.

I step gingerly upon the oceans residue and feel its warmth upon my skin. I bury my toes deep and feel the grainy texture, soft as a mother’s touch. I stride more confidently out to the water’s edge. Nature’s touch again brings its caress as the lapping sea spills its white foam surrounding me for the briefest of moments before retreating again to the depths of a turquoise shelf.

We begin our sojourn, my Beloved and I along the banks of the world. We stride hand in hand as the cradle of the world’s life ebbs and flows around us. A tidal pool, lost from the ocean’s embrace as low tide abandons its child, simmers in the early morning sunlight. The waves push and pull across our feet beckoning us outward as though they were driven by God’s own breath.

The minuscule shells, remnants of a world unseen tumble their way up the shelf and ride back down again toward the bottom below. Their number uncountable, they splinter and crumble as they continue their never-ending journey upon the beach they will one day become. My tender skin protected from winter’s wrath by the tools of my trade, thick-soled boots and socks that bandage my skin have left me vulnerable to each step I take barefoot upon the world. I cringe with each step as their edges rake beneath my alabaster feet, the morning sun warm upon my shoulders ... and it is magnificent.