Grains That Remember

They walked
bare feet

Warm sand
soft wind

No map
no guide

Only will
only hope

Grains rose
fell back

Imprints deep
then shallow

Steps small
then wide

Some paused
some knelt

Names whispered
then stilled

Salt air
tasted loss

Sea birds
carried songs

Sea foam
kissed toes

Stories drifted
toward tide

Sun climbed
slow arc

Light spread
thin gold

Faces lifted
eyes closed

Silence spoke
without sound

Lines blurred
in heat

Heartbeats timed
to surf

Each soul
held weight

Each breath
shed weight

A girl
found shell

Pressed close
heard hush

A mother
left flower

Petals pale
fragrance faint

A father
drew circle

Small mark
soon gone

Dust rose
settled again

Sun dipped
toward rest

Sky burned
soft red

Footprints stretched
long path

First prints
faded quick

Last prints
lingered more

Night crept
quiet cool

Stars opened
slow veil

Moon traced
silver arcs

Sand cooled
kept story

Wind hushed
kept secret

Morning comes
new tide

Old marks
washed clean

Yet grains
remember all

Every step
every sigh

Nothing lost
only held

Deep earth
keeps trace

We leave
walk on

Footprints fade
souls stay

Memory lives
in sand