I headed along the shore, past driftwood, dry stars, and trash. I walked until there was no one around, and I thought I saw your silhouette, waving at me from the water.

But I knew better than to chase shadows during high tide. I suppose we learn from our mistakes.

Roberto Carcache Flores is a Salvadoran writer whose first poetry chapbook, A Condensation of Maps, has recently been published by Dink Press.