for Klaus and Gundi Heinemann

Let us see what the sea
has delivered this day
with a quick walk down
the meadow path to
the beach,

perhaps taking the sandy
trail through the dunes,
past the lemony lupine
tossing fragrance at
us as we pass, enticing
us to stop and sniff,

then dig our heels into
soft sand down hill to stand
where sea meets land
and survey what’s been
washed and tumbled here—

moon jellies, lacy kelp strands,
rubbery bulbs with tails,
limpets and mussels beached
after their journey from
seafloor to shore.

We stand transfixed,
as if our feet have not
found their way here
before, try to fill every
crevice of empty with
wavesound, hoping
to carry it with us,

dripping through
our fingers, to our
inland lives, inhale
the lifesource,

willing it to fill us,
to sustain us,
have faith that
it will return us
to the peace of
this place
one more time.