Sea Songs

tide after tide, moon after moon

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“I have become older and, cherishing what I have learned,
I have become younger.

And what do I risk to tell you this, which is all I know?
Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.”

- Mary Oliver

In Dogtown, the only calendar we believe in is found in the tides. Each morning we wake before sunrise. Catching the golden shimmer of light as it slowly lifts above the ocean’s edge. Our dog runs wildly towards the beach while our baby fills foraged sea shells with freshly packed sand. I follow a trail of starfish. Lift my face towards the sun and bask in the dew of sea salt. 

Afternoon brings long meandering walks down the coast. We fill our pockets with sea figs and pine. Singing along to the “haw-haw” of the crows as we tenderly touch the feathering patch of california poppy. Their small cups of sunlight awaken the earth deep inside of me. 

When the stars begin to rise, we dance. Through the courtyard. Through the streets. Under a disco ball turning to the beat of Dolly Parton’s “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind.” Adorned in her favorite dancing dress, our baby spins round and round. Chasing the shadows formed by our moving bodies. As she twirls, her open mouth reveals two half moons illuminating her crescent smile. 

Slow sways and rubbing eyes signals the time for sleep. We climb silently up the dark, steep mountain. Following the scent of eucalyptus towards home. We kiss the ocean goodnight. Drifting fast asleep to the lullaby of Coyotes singing under the changing moon. Dreaming to rise once again with the sun.

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