The thickness of the water,

Swallowed them whole.

The vivid blue;

So unforgiving, so dangerous, so grand.

They fell into the ocean,

Surrounded by bluefish and fluke swimming in schools,

Just off Martha’s Vineyard.

A place so desolate; a place I’ll never go.

Their arms couldn’t reach out for help.

They didn’t have a chance.

Their skin would turn to dust.

There was no way out.

And it changed my view of time.

Time is lost, time is forgotten.

I lost my little brother that day;

A day without a cloud in New York City.

That boy I lost could radiate sunshine from a smile;

That boy with those brown eyes;

That boy with that heart of gold.

I’ll never be the same woman without him.

I’ll never see the ocean as beautiful again.