YOUTH

The mist hung just off the shore. The sun reflected off the sea and the fog. The waves in motion. The surf white with foam and dark gray. Sea birds overhead. The smell of salt air. My heart heavy and longing. Once again I returned to the sea to clear my mind.

One boy threw the football as two others jockeyed for position to receive the pass. Their shorts hung teasingly off their hips, one showing a slight crack of his ass and their naked torsos glistened with a light sweat. They laughed as they pushed each other aside to catch the ball. Swift and agile, their feet dug into the sand as they swayed back and forth, one attempting to tackle the other and the other dodging when he caught the ball. They stretched and moved with the grace of dancers; the sand flying in the air around them. They tumbled in an embrace as they fell together on the beach. Laughing, they separated and brushed the sand off their muscled bodies. I felt a tug at my heart for them. Was it lust? No, I longed to be them. To once again play hard with no regard for the aches, pains and limitations of age; completely unselfconscious as you focus on the play and the game. Laughing wildly with the insouciance of youth. In my mind I joined them in the game as we played our game of catch and tackle and it brought a smile and a tear to my eye.