Sunshine Baby

artwork by Ann Li

By Helen Kao

The girls coast down Highway 17 en route to Seabright Beach

faces chilled by dawn air rushing in through open windows

At the wheel

like she always is for their outings

Eden’s freshly honey-hued waves dance against her collarbones 

Beside her

always her best friend’s passenger princess

Hana’s sable silk hair eagerly reaches out to greet the ocean

Now Hana and Eden huddle closely atop sandy lavender linens

gazing at a gossamer horizon from their spot on the shore

at familiar ridges and islands in the distance

at a slumbering sky waiting to be kissed by the sun

Everything is cyclical, Hana sighs

She wraps a pink wool blanket around their bodies

I don’t know what’s right anymore

I want to have fun

to love each day

to be a part of it all 

I can’t stop to think and I can’t catch my breath

Talk of a coastal sunrise had stirred since the spring melted winter away

Leaving New York rain for California saltwater

a relief from the albatross of responsibilities saddling their spirits

Hana’s long family visits to Asia,

Eden’s extensive Abercrombie shifts

A misaligned summer with just one day belonging to them

Autumn’s tsunami of reality would soon come crashing in

I know what you mean

Eden tugs at the pink wool hugging her torso

We have no time to enjoy

We’re just existing, not living

She sighs, too, then adds

I miss my dog

Icy blue clouds hang heavy on the skyline

I miss falling in love

I miss sitting in the backseat

I missed our beach

I’m glad we’re here

The sky begins to blush

A slight coral glow hugs the wisps on the horizon

Hana rests her head on Eden’s shoulder

A swift breeze ruffles their hair

entwining dyed-blonde with brunette

I missed you

Me too

A sky swirled cerulean and amber and violet

The clouds bloom indigo once more

Zephyrs grow into gusts and gales

The girls can now hear the tide crashing on rocks

I wish this peace could last longer

I don’t want life to feel like just an existence, Eden laments,

but in the end

In the end it always does, Hana says

Yeah. In the end it always does. 

Eden sighs again

Now we’re right where we were

In this world where they must swan dive headfirst into the blue

the girls have each other

Eden links Hana’s arm under hers,

holding on a little tighter

Sitting by the seafront, the girls wait for the wind to subdue

Warm light breaks through in the distance

A golden embrace spills onto the shore

     onto lavender linens

      onto the girls

they embrace each other for the sake of it

Clouds staining apricot, periwinkle, rose, lilac

they hold promise of a silver lining

a promise waiting to blossom 

I’ll miss this sunrise

Me too

Helen is a sophomore studying flute performance at Steinhardt with minors in creative writing and BEMT. She loves Sonny Angels, the beach, “Sunshine Baby” by The Japanese House, and her lovely friend Emily, to whom she dedicates this piece.