On The Beach

I reached out
Waiting for my hand
To be slapped away
As it had been before
Even though mine was alone
Despite being surrounded
By silent stronger types

You grabbed at me
Like a drowning person
In a last ditch effort
To pull yourself free
Of a single life despised
In this tumultuous sea
This dangerous ocean

The beach beckoned
So we swam together
Unaided by emotional tides
Paddling through years
Our strokes strong
And our breathing
In and out, in time

We're the lucky ones
No longer worrying ourselves
With romantic notions
Of being saved
As we've already
Negotiated heart breakers
To reach the shore

So side by side
We lie on a shared towel
Our surfing days over
But for poetic waxing
While watching waves
Toss so many others
Onto hard unrequited sands