here Or gone?

The fog was slight gray,
a haze with a hint
of almost-purple.
And though it was thick
and sensibly there
the further we entered
the more it was air.
So we assumed it
‘phantom hues’
and continued to
peruse the beach,
for an object
to fit our amusement:
Felicia found a large
viridescent kelp.

She couldn’t help but
pick it up and
swirl
around
with the thick sea-thing
she found.
We pranced about
in a circular form
steering clear of the long stalk,
keeping it
from catching our shins,
for surely it would tear into
the seams of our skin;
and the Trace on our ankles
wouldn’t be the
only one to be sore.

More so than a game
did it appear as a dance:
A ritual happening
by chance taking place
on this foreign coast
which most of us
have yet
to tag as our land.

Before our departure
we made our mark
with a swift scrawl of the hand…
I corrosively wrote
L I U
in the sand.