The Scarlet Lowercase Letter Ryan Tilley Their marriage sanded down by cruel retorts: Abrasive tongues, inflammatory words. In happy times the sand remained contained. The shattered vows preceded shattered glass. The splattered sand returned to wedding site. The scattered multicolored grains were free. As grains were blown by wind, their spirits sank. Surrendered severed scarlet sand. Subject to the whim of wind and the selfish air. The glass protection gone, like wedding rings. The symbols pawned for insufficient pay. The years of love destroyed by months of hate. But sand does seek escape from bottled glass. It longs for the heat of the beach or the cold of the sea.
36 • FLARE: The Flagler Review