Gone so fast.

"Hello my honey, hello my darling, hello my ragtime gal..."

Sand squeaks between my toes, slides through my fingers

I rush to cup each falling handful

Turning one palm toward the other, trying hard to catch each shining grain

I want to capture it, hold it up to the sun and see its glittering colors

Before the next one fades away.

Each sparkling snowflake sliver,

Each a tiny delighting world in itself.

I turn it over, drawn in by the detail carved here and there,

By the little dancing lights, by the shifting silver planes.

I cannot help but stand transfixed, here a moment.

Then something out of the corner of my eye moves and in a rush my eyes widen again.

I look back at my other hand, upturned in my surprise and focus

To find I've lost all the rest.