I watched the sea retreat As joyful rocks came out to breath Feathers on stilts picked at the leaves Blue and white shells underneath my feet And a golden-rose fire Broken to coins on the water By the tide and the way she sways, she sways the way she sways my mind And the cold Bitter saltwater Up to my hips as I stripped to my knicks Plastic bag in my fist Muscles tense I lament For the poison in the beauty Our fingertips search the beach For smooth stones to skip troughs and peaks It takes me back to the river weeks I saved two or three for Daniel Lee And a golden-rose fire Broken to coins on the water By the tide and the way she sways, she sways the way she sways my mind And the cold Bitter saltwater Up to my hips as I stripped to my knicks Plastic bag in my fist Muscles tense I lament For the poison in the beauty Nothing's perfect I know But discomfort's worth it If we want to grow There's not much time Before we go So I will do my best today for tomorrow And a golden-rose fire Broken to coins on the water By the tide and the way she sways, she sways the way she sways my mind And the cold Bitter saltwater Up to my hips as I stripped to my knicks Plastic bag in my fist Muscles tense I lament For the poison in the beauty