I went for a walk not at the beach
no sand between my toes
no gulls flying noisily overhead
having left behind everything but memories
and the sand I cannot get out of my shoes
I follow the road near my home
waving to the mail carrier on her route
quickening my pace past the barking dog
the green grass ablaze on morning lawns
old growth hemlocks towering above
and more than ample smell of earth
to keep me from the lure of the sea.

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Lara Dolphin is a recovering attorney, novice nurse, and full-time mother of four amazing kids; she is exhausted and elated most of the time.