A Momento

Dear scallop shell,

your matte pink and salmon stripes

shining

on a canvas of fluffy white sand

uplifted upon the remains

of some child’s fallen castle,

could you hold another small memory?

It won’t be nearly so dramatic

as lifting Aphrodite from the sea

or quite so spectacular

as serving as Poseidon’s throne.

Please,

store this fleeting moment

in your muscle-polished mirror.

At the cusp of sunset, between

high school and college,

give me a snapshot

of our blue sand-splattered

cooler, empty glass bottles,

and the last glowing

embers of our hand-dug fire pit.

Remind me of our salty hugs

and promises

to see each other

beyond the shadowy horizon.

Jack Hopper