I came late to the beach

After the sun had set for some time

Only a trailing red light near the edge of the horizon that left a memory that it was there

And I felt peaceful

And regretted missing the sunset

But knowing the sun would have burned my fragile skin

Knowing it was for the best

Even though it pains me that our short trip was over before it even began

Knowing we almost touched eternity

Knowing we almost had it all

And knowing also,

There would be more ocean views

More sunsets

In another time, another place in the world