ʻUkulele after Sunset

After the sun drops, faces fade into silhouettes and the ʻukulele becomes the warmest sound besides the fire. Nobody announces a song. One person finds the first chord and the others recognize where it is going.

The instrument is quiet enough that the ocean remains part of the music. Between verses there is driftwood settling, shore break folding over, and someone laughing just outside the circle of light.