eight o’clock —

Ms. Jenny, the physics teacher
once said that in the day,
the sea stores heat in its folds
as it collects the sun in handfuls
(the sea has bigger palms than us
and in them,
more lines that cross)
to keep it warm at night.
one day, she said,
a young man is going to
hold your hand,
bring you to the beach
and whisper,
i brought you here for
the sea breeze.
but then you will reply
that after the sun
lowers itself below the sea,
the sea must keep itself warm
while the land learns to cools off,
creating a convection current of air
from the land to the sea
to fill a void, causing
a role reversal;
a land breeze.

and you will have taught him something.

—is the perfect time for a stroll.