The smoldering grains of false comfort
Drive my desire toward the cool, inviting swells.
If love is the enemy, can time be the savior?

The warning was clear:
None can visit without the clinging flame of the hot sand.
It is hard, too hard to bear the heated passion of the sunburned surface.
Scorched skin longs for a reprieve.
Articles of Ancient Grace show no mercy as they invade
All aspects of body and mind.

The waves of time fall rythmically upon the sand.
Each moment cools the flame and brings relief.
The shape of the water is everchanging.
New discoveries lurk behind each new peak.
Catharsis and regeneration await.

Sprint across the torched surface.
Dive deep into the cleansing water.
Nothing to burn
Nothing to cling
Nothing to keep
Nothing to…

Hold. The beach provided firm footing with only the slightest of compromise.
The ocean offers only violent churning
My panicked toes scrape the bottom sand.
The coffin of Annabell Lee is now nestled under my nail.
Equilibrium overcomes panic, but doubt resides in the trough:
Can love be quenched by time?

To live moment by moment has no equal.
Each simultaneous wave passes one by one until they are finished.
The water is still. Time is still.
Weightless, free, intangible.
Facing the sun, what is to come will never be known.
It has always been known.

What are you thinking?

Nothing

I love when she wears that t-shirt. V-necks were created in heaven just to be wrapped around her body. Surely she knows she shouldn’t be wearing this in the morning if she doesn’t want me to come on strong. It is weird how clothes were created to cover the skin yet they actively tempt me to uncover it.

Liar. Why won’t you tell me?

We’ve never used this breakfast bar for anything other than sitting and eating. What would I have to say to her make this happen? Maybe if I throw a bit of guilt into the conversation…

I thought I told you not to ask that question?

But I just want to know what you are thinking about

I am not thinking about anything

Is there anything more anti-aphrodisiacal than nagging? That burrito last week probably would have gotten her in the mood. It must have been created by some Mexican fallen angel or something. A small bit of heaven on earth. Why am I thinking about heaven so much?

Your mind is completely blank?

What was that thing made out of? Carne asada, some cheese, pico de gallo, and the coup de grâce: French fries. I can’t decide if this was birthed from a stroke of genius or divine revelation. Oh here comes the supernatural again. I suppose old habits die hard.

Yes

You are such a liar. That is impossible

Look, I cannot possibly express every single though that crosses my mind.

I just want to know the one thought in your head right now!

I probably shouldn’t be thinking about food much. Money is getting scarce. Why did I ever try to get into this internet marketing bullshit? It could have been good. Getting fired from two jobs in a month is rough though, especially when one was my own business!

Sigh I am thinking about how I had a good time this morning

Ok… is that all?

I don’t think I am going to make rent this month. I only have one client. I am pretty much squeezing as much as I can out of her. I don’t know how to do this stuff. Why did I think I could bullshit my way through this? Oh yeah, because it seemed to work for every other job I have had.

All what?

Is that all you are thinking about?

I hope the team shows up to play on Thursday. That is all I have left to distract me from real life. We better make the playoffs. I remember last season we missed the playoffs by one point. The season before too.

Why are you prying so hard?

You just seem troubled

Is soccer the only thing holding me back from a real job? I don’t think I can find a real job I will like. This writing and virtual assistance would be a perfect way to earn income while going to school. Flexible, higher paying per hour than most entry level positions, and I love writing. But the uncertainty of sufficient income…

I am fine

Hmmpf. I wish I could just see straight into your brain and know everything you are thinking about

You can lean over the counter as much as you want, but you are objectifying yourself. This kitchen is pretty awesome. Plenty of space and storage. Those pictures bring back some good memories. Does every guy wonder if he made a mistake choosing one girl when her friends are just as available and probably less naggy?

Mmhmm

That blond we were with two nights ago was a saucy one. Possibly the best placed curves I have ever seen. Didn’t get enough of them, couldn’t get enough of them. I wonder how good of friends they are. Not so close that when this ends…

Whatever asshole

Hey! No need to get angry. Please, I’m sorry. I just don’t want to talk about every single thought I happen to think.

Oh there goes my stomach rumbling. I need another one of those burritos as soon as possible. I wonder if I can mix and match. Is that the perfect burrito combination or can it be improved on? Maybe get some guac in there. What else can I put French fries in/on? Her blond friend…

But you never tell me anything you are thinking or feeling. It is not fair. You need to open up more.

I know. I am sorry. I am just not good at expressing my thoughts in words.

Ehh I feel like even my imagination is overrated. If I fantasize about another girl long enough, the arguments and annoyances still weasel their way into my daydreams. Plus, and with enough alcohol, who knows what names I might confuse if my mind has been elsewhere…

Well, you should at least try

I know. I will try to share more with you. I just need to practice I guess.

I have no idea how I will ever make good on that promise. I don’t know exactly what to do. I don’t know remotely what to do. Oh well, that just means we will have two more weeks of peace until this all surfaces yet again.

Good. Now what sounds good for lunch?

I don’t know. You choose.

The beauty and serenity of the warm, soft sands
Juxtaposed with the powerful, violence of the beating waves.
No other place do time and love battle with such fervor.

The waves are constant, unstoppable, infatigued.
They are moments of time. all occuring simultaneously,
But only crashing in single file.
Each one is a story, with rising action, climax and a foaming conclusion.
They are moments of time. all occuring simultaneously.

The deep sands of the beach hold indefinite articles of Ancient Grace.
It is unquenchable love. and will not be defeated.
The grains find their way into every cranny of life and being.
None can visit without the clinging flame of the warm sand.
It is hard, too hard to bear the heated passion of the sunburned surface.
It is unquenchable love. and will not be defeated.

Time usurps love as the waves envelop the shore, but the sand cannot be defeated.
The froth recedes from its adversary only to find the grains remain,
Changed but not overcome.
Love closes around the feet of the weary, and asks them to stay for awhile.
But time scares them off.
Only those unafraid to dip their feet will survive.
An epic battle is waged and casulties are cost for both sides.

The only hope is to choose sides. both ways are dead ends.
Time does not heal and love cannot satisfy.
The former is neverending, unrelenting, unresting, unforgiving.
The latter is beaten, rewardless, unavoidable, unforgiving.

I have chosen love. I have found my Annabell Lee.
Though we will succomb to time, we conquer in our defeat.
When we are together no wave crashes, every wave crashes.
We exit the timeline and Love passes all understanding.
If Time is our grave may Love be our coffin.
If the ocean is our grave, may the sands be our coffin.

They are moments in time. all occuring simultaneously.
It is unquenchable love. and will not be defeated.