The tide came in by Katie Oliver

The tide came in, and we didn’t even notice
until the waves were lapping at our heels.
Seagulls screamed in mockery: an attack
upon the two unfortunate women, who stood there

until the waves were lapping at their heels.
Passers by looked on with solemn pity
at the two unfortunate women, standing rigid;
thinking to themselves: how could we not have known?

Passers by observed with naked curiosity,
taking in the burn marks on the promenade, the broken pieces
thinking to themselves: I wish I knew
what happened here - it looks so far to fall.

Circling the burn marks on the promenade, the shattered car - 
seagulls screamed, and to me it felt like mockery.
What happened here? He died on impact.
The tide came in, and we didn’t even notice.

………………..

Katie Oliver is a writer based on the west coast of Ireland, whose work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best Microfiction. Her debut short story collection, I WANTED TO BE CLOSE TO YOU, will be published in December 2022 with Fly on the Wall Press, and she is a first reader for Tiny Molecules.

Twitter: @katie_rose_o