You held my hand.
But I still felt his salty grip
lingering in the creases
of my palms.

You and I marked our journey
with every sinking step
we took.
I wished we walked closer
to the sea,
so our path washed away.
And the tides carried his back.

You pulled me in tight,
smiling with your honey eyes.
My sun-kissed cheeks floated
to meet my downcast blues
as I looked into
his ebony eyes instead—
a doting, playful wink.
My heart splashed with the
sight of his dimples
and the blue waves that
pulled him away.

Your race into the ocean
was no match for me.
My toes cringed at the
mosaic water.
You waved me to come deeper
but my throat stung with salt
as I fathomed the waters around you.
He raced into the sea.
My eyes blurred
recognizing his figure
swimming out with his board
for me.

I came closer to you.
Your left arm wrapped around
my body. His left grabbed
me too as his right arm fought
and his legs kicked to reach
the surface. Paddle back! 
My head turned as a white cap
broke at its peak, floating me
back to shore. His face dissolved
in the aquamarine wall.

Your dripping skin rested

next to my dried body,
our hair filled with broken seashells.
I wished you could bring him back
when I looked into your honey eyes
or at least save me. My ebony heart
had not hit the surface.
I was still drowning.