The sun has just set, leaving a thin line of gold as if someone had made a short mark on the ocean's far edge with a flaming pen.
Two geese fly over me and the palm trees lining the boardwalk.
Behind one palm shines Venus, and below it the crescent moon.
Below the dry sand stretches more beach wide and flat at very low tide, shining with gold because there's no incline to drain the water.
I jog down to the Venice pier, exulting in the streak of rose-orange that grows at the horizon.
As I come back the rose fades, but Venus and the crescent moon shine over my left shoulder, blessing me.
In Greek mythology they are Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Artemis, virgin goddess of the hunt.
Usually they live far apart, but tonight from earth they seem to stand together, blessing everyone on all the beaches, hills, and plains.
Lights glitter on Palos Verdes Peninsula, in Malibu and Santa Monica.
For the moment all the day's work and the earth's sadness have vanished. It's enough to be jogging on the beach with these two presences looking down.
