We were supposed to go on that boat ride

You would bring the beer 

I would bring laughter 

we would chase the last light 

as the sun melted into the horizon 

admiring the sounds of crashing waves as everything else went silent

the dock stays empty now 

ropes coil into memories still and silent 

waiting for a hand that won’t return

I can almost hear the sound of the can opening

the sounds of little sips 

your eyes squinting at the sunset 

like you were ready to wrestle time for a little longer

It feels like forever since you left,

like the seasons have forgotten how to turn

without your voice in them

and yet,

some mornings, I swear I still hear you,

still feel you beside me,

like it all happened just yesterday.

grief is strange that way

it stretches years into moments,

moments into lifetimes.

I miss you so much it aches,

like the tide pulling at my chest,

like the sunset that never came

because you weren’t there to see it.

I still imagine us there 

smiling ear to ear 

waves softly crashing beneath the boat,

the sky painted gold, pink, and orange 

your beer in hand,

your laugh carried by the wind

and me,

just sitting beside you,

finally home again.