My Eyes

It's late, my eyes are burning.

They spent all morning helping my nimble fingers browse the many lovely racks of clothing at the mall. They saw many things they liked. Many. Too many.

They spent all afternoon gazing out into an endless ocean, then scanning the sands for little bits of seashells. (I stood them up in the sand, like little seashell headstones. I made a seashell graveyard.)

They spent the evening scanning the menu at our favorite local Italian restaurant, skipping quickly to notice the light strands hanging around the outside patio we were seated in.

They were repeatedly squeezed shut with laughter, making half moons above my sunkissed cheeks.

They were forced wide open as we made silly faces at each other while we got ready for bed.

And now they're burning as we finish a movie, one I've recently seen but enjoyed enough to watch again with them.

But they're happy. Tired, but happy.