Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - Goodbye

Summer Goodbyes

 It’s been a great summer at the beach

And now it’s time to say goodbye
Finding moon and stars within reach
So we say adieu with a sigh

And now it’s time to say goodbye

To every smiling, sunburned face
So we say adieu with a sigh
Even sea creatures have their place

To every smiling, sunburned face

To building castles in the sand
Even sea creatures have their place
And lighthouses no longer manned

To building castles in the sand

To driftwood washed in rolling wave
And lighthouses no longer manned
To tan lifeguards who watch and save

To driftwood washed in rolling wave

To picnics, sand toys and beach balls
To tan lifeguards who watch and save
To sea weed, sea shells and seagulls

To picnics, sand toys and beach balls

And romantic swims in the night

To sea weed, sea shells and seagulls

From quaint theme parks to paradise

And romantic swims in the night

It’s been a great summer at the beach
From quaint theme parks to paradise
Finding moon and stars within reach

Heavens opened

Clouds lit up

I looked for feet

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Silhouettes

Silhouettes

 Background

of oranges and reds.

Palm tree swaying

Lovers kissing
Children dancing
Old man fishing
Bird gliding
Family bicycling  
Jetty reaching

No need for details.

We already know.

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - driftwood

Driftwood

D ark knotted log

R etrieved from the beach
I nteresting  
F ormation
T ake it home
W ork magic with flowers
O n top, perhaps
O rnamented with knick-knack matching
D ecor. Priceless souvenir.

Poetic Bloomings Lif's a Beach - horizons

Across the Ripples

The sun sits on the horizon

shining a golden path across the ripples.
The boulders of the rocky shore
become black boats
sailing toward glowing sky.

When the Son’s centered on our horizon,

shining a golden path across the ripples,
we change in His light
following the golden path
to glowing heavens.  

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - games

Dodge Ball for Two (Thrower & Target) 

A point to hit target or catch ball

The one with twenty points wins.

Target’s feet stays still, don’t fall!

A point to hit target or catch ball

Target may end up in a sprawl.

Where ball lands, thrower now target, begins.

A point to hit target or catch ball

The one with twenty points wins.

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach- Sea Shells

You fascinate us

Treasures lying in the sand

What’s your history?

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - sunburn Rondeau

It was the Worst

It was the worst from summer’s sun.
With fair skin, I’ve had more than one.
My boyfriend came to visit me.
We traveled to an east-coast beach.
We fell asleep till overdone.

I toasted like a hot-cross bun.
And then it was no longer fun.
Yes, just a touch would make me screech.
It was the worst.

I couldn’t bend, swim, walk or run.
My southern friend said, “Dummmmb, dummmb, dummmb!”
And everybody liked to preach,
like experience didn’t teach.
For severity this burn won.
It was the worst.

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - Romance

One Moonlit Night

 You strummed your guitar

I wished on a star
Flames flickered to your soft song
On a moonlit beach
You seemed out of reach
As all our friends sang along

But you glanced my way

Your eyes held me sway
We wandered off hand in hand
Talked into the night
Cuddled till first light
Drawing hearts within the sand

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach sea creature

Blobfish 

From the side and top views,

he looks more like a fish,

but head-on resembles

Ziggy’s head on a dish.

Looks melted and flabby

Miserable and sulky
A gelatinous mass
Fat head that’s quite bulky

Beady eyes and big nose

An unquenchable frown
A real bottom-feeder
on what’s floating around.

 He’s becoming extinct.

He’s as pale as a ghost.
He is so seldom seen
off Tasmanian coast.

He’s as inedible

as an old rubber boot.
No muscles and lazy,
so butt ugly he’s cute.

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - Bikini

Quite a Show

She hooted and hollered

and waved her hands
as she slid down
the quadruple curve waterslide.
She plunged in at the bottom
and came up with a smile.
People stared, laughed and whistled.
They must be amazed
at her spectacular showmanship.
She went over to a man,
asking him the time.
Maybe she’d go again.
He seemed to have lost his words,
sputtering, large-eyed
he finally pointed at her.
She looked down,
and then turned to see
her hot-pink bikini top
floating in the water.

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Paradise wordle: idyllic, palm tree, coconut, bamboo, hut, hungry, clothes, native.

Idyllic Isle

 On this idyllic isle, where I now live,

It’s easy to take, and easier to give.
Harmony exists within the smile,
Where I now live, on this idyllic isle.

When we want to eat, all is supplied.

Of hunger here, no one has died.
Pineapples and coconuts fall at our feet.
All is supplied, when we want to eat.

The clothes we wear, simple and chic,

The natives design and make each week.
But you can say we’re almost bare,
Simple and chic, the clothes we wear.

No house to clean, we live in huts

Made of thatch with bamboo struts,
And palm tree fronds, no need for screen.
We live in huts, no house to clean.

We do what we wish. We swim a lot.

We practice all the skills we’re taught.
We sing and dance and boat and fish.
We swim a lot. We do what we wish.

 

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - waves

Over or Under 

Riding atop the wave

Free, easy, exhilarating
Sucked in under the wave
Fighting, fearful, drowning
Lord, grant me skills to surf

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Children

Joy

 
Open mouths
Eyes shiny and bright
Arms waving
Feet dancing
Kids’ first day at the ocean
Discovering waves

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Ekphrasis

 photo by Walt Wojtanik
 

Wind and waves

Water-soaked tennies

Faded jeans
Eyes to see
Age and ocean-polished stones
Life consists of small

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - Amusement Park

Idlewild Park

 

I remember every year Mom,

D ad, and the five of us girls

L oaded into our car and

E scaped to a wild and

W onderful place,

I dlewild Park. We gulped down a picnic

L unch of fried chicken and all the trimmings, then

D arted off towards the sound of the train whistle. We

 

P layed all day—toured the petting zoo,

A nd we fished at the fish pond, winning worthless toys.

R ode the Paratrooper, Tilt-a-whirl, Caterpillar and more. We

K ept it up all day. And the chocolate ice cream tasted better there.

 

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - Tides

Tides  

Earth rotates

Moon and Sun exert gravity
Sea rises and falls

Weeks go round

Trials versus blessings
Moods rise and fall

Poetic Bloomings, Life's a Beach, Picnic

Oh, We Love to Picnic 

Oh, we love to picnic! And this is what we’ll take:
Watermelon, chicken, and biscuits that flake,
Potato chips, pretzels, vegetables and rolls,

Rotini Salad, potato salad, Jell-O by the bowls,
Chocolate chip cookies like our grandmas make,

Ice water and lemonade (don’t forget to shake),
Hamburgers, condiments, plus sirloin steak.
We’ll cook them sizzling hot with glowing coals.
Oh, we love to picnic!

And what shall we eat it on?—make no mistake,
but remember blankets, flatware, paper cups and plates.
And let’s take the volleyball, the net and poles.
We’ll play a game or two, then go for some strolls.
But after we eat so much, it’s hard to stay awake.
Oh, we love to picnic!

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Lighthouse

Second Purpose

A small white house with green shutters,

a tall lighthouse splotched with age
sit side by side on a hill.
The small white house remembers
a family chatting over meals,
sharing chores, playing games,
reading books to each other at night.
The lighthouse remembers
their care to keep its tower lit,
its bright beams reaching out to sailors
warning them of rocks and shallow waters.
The two buildings watch tourists coming up,
allowing them to peek into the past,
but keep their stories to themselves.

 

 

 

Poetic Bloomings LIfe's a Beach -Night at the Beach

November, on our honeymoon,

Wyoming plates, like a cartoon,  
we pulled into Destin late at night.
My husband gasped at the sight,
“Oh it can’t be! No, no, no!”
He mistook the white sands for snow.

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach - Waterway

Just Add Water

W hen you get right down to it

A ll dreams, ambitions, positions,

T oys, trips, cars, houses, stuff,

E ndless goals and to-do lists don’t

R eally matter without water.

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach--Seagulls

Take Out

 

Seagulls search with sharp eyes.

“It’s time for lunch,” Mama said.
“No!” she refused with loud cries.
Seagulls search with sharp eyes.
Her sandwich took to the skies.
“I’m hungry!” she said with a pout.
Seagulls search with sharp eyes.
“They’re hungry, too, no doubt.”

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach, Boat

Little Row Boat 

Round and Round in our little row boat

Oh, we have fun, but we don’t go anywhere

At least we two will stay afloat

Round and Round in our little row boat

And look at how much time we devote

Okay, we’re not so big on finesse and flair

Round and Round in our little row boat

Oh, we have fun, but we don’t go anywhere

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Seaweed

Seaweed 

S oggy, slimy sea salad

E ntangling fingers
A nd tickling toes of swimmers
W iggly, wobbly weeds
E ven these bottom dwellers
E nd up on rich tables and stars’ faces and
D ivinely supply most of earth’s oxygen

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Sandcastles

Sandy Solidarity

Pile sand, wet sand

Pat, pat, pat
One piles and pats.
One runs to water’s edge
back and forth with pail.
Pile, pile, pile
Pat, pat, pat
Toothpick-pierced paper scrap
will serve well as flag.
Time to tunnel.
We dig.
One on one side
One on the other
We scoop with spoons or small shovels.
Carefully we keep it from crumbling.
We dig, pat, smooth over cracks.
Then at last,
 we grab each other’s gritty hand.
We succeed.
We smash. We laugh.
We do it all again.
I wish we’d work together
on all our castles in the sand.

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Lifeguard

Fear of Fear

I was afraid he’d be afraid

like I had been for so many years.
He, my son, was small
when I finally overcame my fear
and rode the waves.
So when he, at ten, ventured
out a ways I just watched
biting my lip,
but the white-nosed thin blond
atop her perch whistled and
shouted about the undertow
and in he came.
Otherwise, he might
still be lost at sea.

Poetic Blooming Life's a Beach Swimming

Not Drowning but Waving

(from Stevie Smith’s Not Waving But Drowning) 

Everybody watched the swimmer

Splashing, kicking, playing

They held their breath as he flailed about

And not drowning but waving

He made things appear difficult

But he survived
They pulled him out despite his shout he was okay
He thrived

Oh, yes, yes, yes, he’s gangly and awkward

Adventurously playing
He’s not one to make things look easy
And not drowning but waving

Poetic Bloomings LIfe's a Beach abstract

Sharks chomp wounded

Rays sting innocents

Funded folks behead us? 

Poetic Bloomings Life's A Beach Deserted Beach

Meeting at Dawn

The sun appears to be adrift at sea

A seagull silhouette squawks harsh greetings
This morning it’s just the seagull and me
But there is someone else I’ll be meeting
The bird, the sun and sea, He made all three

Poetic Bloomings Life's a Beach Hello to the Beach

The Ocean Waves

Hello, beachcombers and swimmers having fun

Hello, barking dogs and children on the run
Hello, gritty sand glittering in the sun
And the ocean waves

Hello, lifeguards soaking the rays

Hello, sunbathers content to laze
Hello, salty air with a haze
And the ocean waves

Hello, seagulls screeching in the sky

Hello, jellyfish lying out to die
Hello, sandpipers running by
And the ocean waves
 
Hello, sunscreen, fragrant and warm
Hello, beach chairs fitting to form
Hello, clouds ready to storm
And the ocean waves

Hello, beach umbrellas, my retreat

Hello, lemonade, cold and sweet
Hello, towels to wipe my feet
And the ocean waves