the quiet has held for ten days now. it almost feels like it could last forever
not a cloud or plane in the clear blue sky. the ocean is calm
the smallest pebble makes it ripple
i walk along the shoreline looking for shells, feet pressing into the sand
a familiar shape catches my eye, half buried. i reach down & lift it free
two rifle rounds. rusted together into a single form, fused with rock & sand. weapon that became mineral. event that became geology
a WARNING SIGN
even now, under this clear blue sky, the shoreline remembers what happened