The Red Dress She Had On When She Walked Into the Ocean

The red dress she had on

When she walked

Into the ocean

Washed up on the sand

Five days later

Next to the dress

Was a pair of earrings

And one piece of paper

With the following words

Written on it

In simple cursive

‘Sorry for being late’

A few hundred miles away

A ship lingered on a wave

Waiting to see

Which way a storm would take it

When the captain--

Standing on deck

Trying to find a bit of wisdom

--Heard a girl laughing

And knew he’d make it home

On the beach

The red dress

Wound itself around the tower

Of a sand castle

And the earrings

Placed themselves

Next to a turquoise shell

That rivaled it in beauty

And surpassed it

In pattern and shine

The girl in the water

Found herself

Pulled towards

A lighthouse

Back to a year before she was born

When all there was to do

Was sing to sailors on ships

Until they returned

To the shores

That sent them off

She climbed the steps of the lighthouse

In what she thought was her red dress

But was now just a Fleetwood Mac t-shirt

Shorts, and a pair of sandals

When she made it up to the light

She called out to every ship for miles
And tried to sing them home

Meanwhile

The red dress on the beach

Had to find another home

When the castle was invaded

By sand crabs and jellyfish

It lay next to a beach towel

And tried to find a paperback to read

Something with sheriffs

And sad women

The earrings floated into the ocean

Hoping the light would hit them just right

So they could be discovered by a swimmer

Who might give them to her teenage daughter

A few days before the school dance

Or maybe they’d just float

To the edge of the world

Either would be fine

The girl in the t-shirt and shorts

Saw a storm coming

On the horizon

Or whatever might look like horizon

She sang her song louder

With grave intensity

But the black clouds

Swarmed her song

Leaving nothing to it

But sea salt

And blue foam

The red dress heard the song

And folded itself over

So it could be tucked neatly

Into a carry-away bag

Then taken to a beach house

Where it would be left in a closet

Next to a broken beach chair

And a pair of scuba shoes

That had never been worn

The earrings did float

To the end of the world

Once they were there

They hesitated at the edge

Wondering how far

They’d be willing to fall

The girl came down from the top of the lighthouse

And stood above the dark clouds

In between the lightning

And the ships

Trying to find their way back

She crossed her arms
And confronted the winds

Beating her back

Against the cold stone

Of the beacon

The girl who had worn the red dress

And walked into the ocean

Bit her lip

Buried her apprehension

And faced

Her storm