Castles in the Sand

We waited til the lowest tide and ran along the beach
Setting aside all of the goals we thought we had to reach
We swam as far as we could go and danced back on the sand
And didn't have to wait til sunset to walk hand in hand
Remember that? We built a castle with a great big moat
And I couldn't stop laughing as you showed me how to float

We drew a heart into the sand and each wrote our own name
We knew the tides would rise and yet we wrote them all the same
Some kids came to the beach so we just sat and watched them play
And you told me we'd have children as great as them someday
I tried hard not to tell myself you'd change your mind for good
Although somewhere behind my heart I'm sure I knew you would

As we pretended to count each miraculous sun beam,
I prayed to God I wouldn't wake to find it all a dream
Yet when we came back to the shore at dawn just the next day,
The names and footprints and even castles were washed away
What fools we'd been, when we'd known their inevitable fate
And yet we'd drawn, so focused on the works we thought so great

Of course I woke up soon enough to find that you had left
I wiped away a tear or two and continued, bereft
Waves have long since erased the shores and summer turned to fall
And now I wonder, was it all a nice dream after all?