Shrinking Tide of Love
A hollow ledge—
that’s all that’s left of us
after your love
drifted out with the tide.
A small and lonely pool
clings to the stones—
tepid, still—
mirroring a dull, shrinking sky.
No waves crash here now. No life stirs
in this barren place,
only the slow drying
of what once was love.
A faint outline stays—
the ghost of water’s shape,
etched into stone
like the memory of your touch
fading grain by grain.
Even the wind
passes quickly now,
unwilling to linger
in a place
where nothing answers back.
The edges crack first,
a pale and brittle rim,
dust gathering
where hope once lived.
Sometimes the light
plays tricks on the stones, and I
imagine water returning— but
it is only sunlight
pretending at hope.
Soon nothing will
remain— the pool lost
beneath rock and sand,
waiting for rain
that will never fall.
Valdez Hill, a pianist who learned in a classical style, celebrated 59 years of playing the piano this year. Last year, he gave a recital that mixed music and poetry. He has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra (YPSO) in Berkeley, CA, for 19 years, making him the second-longest-serving board member. Valdez has also been on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including being the Artistic Director of Giving Concerts. In June 2025, his poem “Leda and the Swan,” which is a modern take on a famous poem by William Yeats, was published by Moonstone Arts Center’s book called “Remembering William Butler Yeats. ” His poem “A Symphony of Sound and Fear” was also published by Moonstone Arts Center. His most recent poem “ To The Night Stars was published by Verseve for their Stars Anthology published on October 5, 2025 His poems have been read at numerous art galleries and other events, as well as commissioned by local artists.
