Remembered words bite
with the chill
of a raw May wind
off the lake
in the rain
sting
not the flesh
but the mind
and the soul

as the wash of the waves
the pull of the tides
smooth the edges
of the glass
awash on the beach
so time
and tide
have eased the pain
of the words
have smoothed away
the pain
and left behind
the soft glisten
as the sun kisses
all that remains