Kauai Time

Hand in hand
tug and toil 
one effort 
to get to the top
of the hill 
at the edge
of Kauai time.
Perched silent
as herons, 
we stood
in breathless awe
heat smothered 
under a white sheet 
of empty sky.
Eons of vista 
spread out at our feet
from headland
to horizon’s edge.
Endless tawny sand
slipping under 
a rolling carpet 
of silver sea.
Silent shared pause
in forever.
Gone now, I’m told.
Commandeered arena
holding to peace 
by playing at war. 
My memory, 
an aging sentry 
of a timeless
moment.

© Alison Whiddon