Time moves fast separating the then from the now 
What if I imagined a palm tree pause?
There’s a place beyond the palms where the wind blows hot 
Where the sunshine is warm and sweet
Savor the good fortune
Don’t sweat the small details
Life is not supposed to feel only good
Or only bad
It’s over in less than a minute
Don’t blink or you might miss it
The pink grains of miniscule seashells wash up on shore 
Sands of a different time
One when life was harmonious
Whistling winds remind me of the smiling eyes
Of my father
Strong shoulders where I felt safe like loud laughter
How I miss the soft edges of his face
Kindness overflowing into infinity pools 
Endless waves of his love
Home felt happy then 
Happier than beyond the palms
The ocean’s healing properties is the mystery I accept
But cannot comprehend
Longhand love letters between him and me
I cannot stay here suspended under the palms
This I know
Respite from reality provides temporary shelter before one must return 
To blistering winds and frigid temperatures 
The sea and responsibility tells me so
Lounging under the palabra
Zebra shells are so sublimely delicate and tough
The unbreakable bonds
Weathering seas and storms and eras and antiquities
Never cracking under pressure
Or the weight 
Of life simply moving on
Some days I even forget to miss him
Until I am reminded all over again by a telling look or simple gesture 
An all too familiar face
His easy temperament and smirk with wide-open arms
Remind me that I am always and forever
My father’s daughter
Loved undeniably 
Missing him is just like that first breath of air rising up
From under the water 
Completely delightful, and unexpected
The purest feeling of wonder one never forgets