I remember it exactly as the day it was:
gray, overcast, the air salty
from pounding waves the coastal winds learned to master
To get there, you had to enter a winding road
where each side of the concrete pathway
was lined with standing gods in the shapes of redwoods
the scent of the air pungent with pine and petrichor
as it entered the pickup truck windows
rolled down just enough to feel the chill
I was his daughter, once
This day may have been the last day it was apparent
A drive to the ocean side
A walk through old settlement grounds of Jenner
Place of original windmills, place of migration
He bought me an abalone hairclip
He ripped seaweed from rocks to humor his daughter
to feed his grumbling hunter stomach
How I long to remember how gentle this day was
how softly he tore the long, dirty green leaves from rugged rocks
contrasting how often his hands and words hit harder
than the ocean hits sea stacks that have existed
long before the sand we once stood on ever contained memory
How strange, what is revealed when remembrance
chooses to reveals itself to you
how a sense of lonely becomes an unraveling tide
controlled not by the moon but by memory that pushes and pulls
opening neurological seascapes of muted recollections
that still call my name
The ocean will always outlive us
I have outlived him

This is my first post with Karma Compass! You will see poems from me on grief, trauma, healing, and more.
-Georgina Marie, Poet in Residence
Thank you for sharing your truth with us!
Thank you Edissa!
This is a stunningly beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much!
As always my friend – amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you dear Mike! Thank you for always reading and supporting my work!
So beautiful. Connects with me personally, too — lost my dad when I was a kid, and it’s a loss one can grow with but not over.
Thank you Ina! I’m sorry to hear of your loss too but I’m happy this poem offered connection.
This is a gorgeous, haunting poem. I am happy to have you with us.
Thank you so much, happy to be among creatives!