Malibu 1992

"But 20 years it seems you've forgotten,

Malibu '92."

Remember this beach? This is where we carved our names into the sand. We ran into the sea with a kind of drunken joy only youngsters in love could possess- soaked up the warmth of the sun while it lasted- breathed in the smell of the coast. We lived here as we never had before.

Remember this street? This rose bush? I plucked a flower out of it for you. You put it behind your ear, and strolled down the cobbled sidewalk like breeze in the summer. The trees waved to us. The houses sat silent as we fell more and more in love. The birds sang their songs to serenade us and the cicadas hummed to welcome the spring that the young lovers brought.

Remember this café? We drank those silly little drinks with the silly little umbrellas here. It was here that we exchanged the promise rings that I bought us- the promise ring that now lies forgotten in a corner of my apartment. We laughed till we were out of breath-what were we laughing at?

Remember this bench? We sat here for hours that day. I told you everything about me, as did you about yourself. We listened to the ocean make it beautiful sounds as we forgot about our future for a few precious minutes. That day you had a hibiscus behind your ear- the bright red mimicking our lust for life and each other.

Remember the sky that evening? Light blue, to golden, to bright pink, slowly easing into a velvety black sprinkled with a cascade of stars. We tried to name the constellations- neither of us had any knowledge about astronomy, and we ended up making completely new ones. The bear constellation, do you remember?

Remember the beach? The one where we carved our names into the sand? Who was to know that the waves would wash out the inscription and carry you away, never for me to admire again.