the moon and sea

the half moon was hanging low and orange tonight, suspended in glowing gauze just three fingers above the horizon. the sand glowed a faint white, and the dark warm water met the inky sky with a barely perceptible strip of dark infinity.
standing in the wet sand, toes lapped by gentle waves, the moon’s sienna reflection down the sea stopped at my feet. a few yards out, the straight line wavered and flowed this way and that with the swells. lights to the south mark the pier, and lights to the north mark the jetties. dunes behind me pregnant with shadows, and my sandals sat at the bottom of the boardwalk’s steps. walking back, we turned one last time to see the clouds moving in over the moon, blanketing it for slumber.