Come a little closer

settle nearer by my side

as we dip into our lunch sacks

and share the hope we have inside.

The world’s so big around us;

there’s enough to break our stride:

we dig our toes in forgiving sand

our eyes choose to watch the tide.

I want to know your story

I want to hold your hand

I want to know just how this ends

twenty toes dug in the sand.

There is no front page full of shock

from any bold newsstand

that could grab me by my wrists

with the same magnetized demand.

I sense the world is falling

and I know you sense it, too.

We simply choose to let it be:

we agree not to let it through.

I lean into your shoulder

smell the salt mixed with shampoo

your arms, your face, the moonlit tide

reassure me: we’ll make do.