by Anne E. Macdonald and Kristen Byrne
Editor’s Note: This pair of work was part of Follow Your Art Community Studios’ 6th annual Art of Words exhibit (October 2 – November 7, 2026.)
Deep Breath
The sun glinted off the still sea at low tide; the old man watched two little girls skip through the low-tide eddies on the beach, picking up shells and sand dollars, delighting in the warm air and the mild breeze. The calm, glassy sea belies the turmoil of the ocean, sinister, dark, and deep, swallowing indestructible ships and men who went to sea
to make their fortunes and were never seen again.
The girls delight in the shells they show him. Their innocence and joy bring a smile to his lips. High tide scours the sand of footprints, leaving the shells of creatures now gone—to ocean, tide, and scavengers from the sky. He went down to the sea in many ships, rode the seven seas to make his fortune. Traded stories with the best and worst of men. Fell in love and lost—to time and tide.
He turns, and they are teenagers. They find him still and show him their treasures. He carves a cane from driftwood and tells them he has three legs. The oceans are dark and deep, wide and vast, blue and gray and black and green. They roil with motion yet are eerily calm.
He turns again, and they were married, with children of their own,
who delight in shells and the changing of the tides. The waves roll in, the sea recedes. The old man feels the passing in his bones.
He turns again, and they are more. They hug one another and look out to sea. He sees that it is he they hope to find—amid the waves that scour the beach once again.
(Response) by Anne E. Macdonald
Kristen Byrne is a jeweler and photographer. She has been part of Follow Your Art Community Studios as a facilitator and studio artist since the beginning.
Anne E. Macdonald is a writer with deep New England roots. Her latest book, The Macdonalds of Cedar Park, was inspired by members of her rather ordinary, Melrose-based family, involved in some of the extraordinary events of WWII, including the Manhattan Project and the 10th Mountain Division. She has self-published two mysteries and is planning the third. She and her husband live in Melrose, MA, and enjoy the beach any time of year and traveling to new places for adventure as well as research. https://aemacdonald.com/