hangman's C

I watch her live like grains of sand
slipping through your fingers
mixed with shards of glass
and memories of conch shells
broken coral and reddened sun-kissed skin

She's as much a part of you
as the salt and sand you carry
unable to dust your hands free
of the ocean inside you
and I watch the way you drown in it
gasping for breath in the sleepless hours
between her sleeping and waking
knowing that today
could catch her last breath
in its wet hands and drag her soul
out into the sun-bright sea

I miss you
though I'm always beside you
grieving, watching you grieve
for a life that's not yet over
but fading with every sunrise
and sunset

(C) Indie Adams 2020