TRAGIC Poem: When the Tide Went Out, by Terry Joseph

April 1, 1946
Hilo, Hawaii

It was the natural thing to do,
send the whole class
to play on the beach.

Where else could you enjoy recess
on the shore but the Aloha state?
Reflective Popsicle green waves topped

with whipped cream, every child’s fantasy.
Even the tide a dream, drawing itself
out like a final breath,

span of warm, tan sand reaching halfway
across the world. Teacher smiled,
permed hair breeze-dancing.

How pleased she was for noticing
how the expansive shoreline beckoned
that morning. Come, it whispered.

One glance out the window,
spontaneous alternative
from fenced playground.

Shouts. Beach balls. Tag. Globs
of wet sand lobbed to make the girls squeal,
laughter so much brighter on the beach.

Joy reached the heavens. Bare toes and
tiny arches etched delicate motif
of life, Zen of impermanence

that was supposed to erase
their footprints, not scoop them up
and swallow them.

The cries
of careening gulls were all that
remained.