We take our chances on the rocks that sweat yesterday’s storm. Arrive at sea level intact. A holy place now before us. Queens and kings, mothers and fathers, lovers and storytellers reside here. Buried long ago beneath dunes overlooking an ocean so unpredictable that she sometimes seizes waders by the ankles. We don’t need a reminder to keep our distance. Have already learned to revere the sacred. He sits on a piece of driftwood near the warning sign. Absorbs the water’s roar and wail. I turn my back to him, her. Lured away by the whispers of the mothers beneath the sand. We cried that ocean into life. The sun tries out different places in the sky. Soon will set. We find each other. Always do. Motion toward the trail now hot and dry. Choose to climb back up
Untertow: A Love Story
Beth Kanter’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in a range of publications including X-R-A-Y, Whale Road Review, Emerge Literary Journal, New Flash Fiction Review, and Mcsweeney’s Internet Tendency. She is a Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, and Best Microfiction nominee. The author of five books, Beth’s novel-in-progress, Paved with Gold, received a UCLA James Kirkwood Literary Prize. When not writing, Beth leads creative nonfiction workshops, works individually with other writers, and tries to grow things in the ground with varying results. You can find her online at bethkanter.com and follow her on Instagram and Bluesky @beekaekae.