(on the path to Makua Beach, Kauai)

Of course, others might find them.
I cannot be the only one captivated

by the appearance of heart-shaped
coral embedded in soft sand.

I love happening upon them, and
yes, I pocket some. But what I

have not seen are the hearts left
by others tucked into stone niches

on the path to the beach. It occurs
to me that these are not the hearts

of the ones who find them and
wedge them here—starkest white

against earthy black lava blocks
stacked just so—but keiki tucked

into the tender care of makua,
the parents, in this birthplace

of humanity. And when strangers
walk by all that love beaming

at them, they cannot help but
turn their own soft sides toward

the sea, which receives and
shelters us all, from the newest

to the oldest, all the days of
these never-long-enough lives.

•••

(with thanks to Toni and the late C.B. Martin—
as well as Samson—for their generous hearts
in sharing their favorite beach with us)