Waves of Happiness: Shore Life

Coastal Whisperings

A reverberate echo through the recesses of time; in waves were the dancing figures, ever moving and swirled towards the shore.
Each crash pleaded a little promise in whispers,
White foam kissed the skirting sand with glee,
Concealing information borrowed from the farthest nitty-gritty of the sea.
We begin to witness the little scuttlers clinging to shadows cast by the obscured sun,
Small feet furiously digging on, as if pressed for attending something important.

Gulls float weightless in the air
Circling and swooping to pick up the forgotten crumbs on the beach.
Pelicans dive gracefully into the sea
Piercing the water with their sharp bodies like arrows,
Emerging with their catch, swift and victorious.

Two children, eyes wide with wonder,
Shovel in hand, build their castle.
The base is made out of buckets of sand;
Their moat, a carefully crafted line of defense;
They giggle, tugging as they bicker over where the drawbridge will go.
They remain near their parents,
Not just watching, but completely immersed in their little architect's world,
Lauding each sand tower,
Delighting in tiny masterpieces that will soon be washed away by an incoming tide.

Hand in hand, couples stroll along the shore,
Their footprints merging and melding with retreating waves.
Heads bowed in converse, their laughter whispers with the wind,
As if nothing exists outside the beach.
The fragrant salty air lifts their hair and the sea urges;
Silently it calls out for them to stay just a little longer.

Down the shore, the swimmers' brave leaping into the waves induces them to rise and fall,
Bobbing around like sea creatures,
Their joy blowing contagious on onlookers.
A frisbee soars into the air,
Chased by the dog full of boundless energy,
The dog leaps, its ears flapping, seizing the disc with triumphant yays—
And rolls itself onto the sand as compensation.
-A game of ball has begun,
Two little boys tossing the ball,
While joyfully racing by the seashore,
One narrowly dodged a volleyball player who dives right into the sand like an arrow.
The air crackles with energy and joy—
Moments frozen in time, all at once.

An entity rides on a swell,
A rider balanced, arms stretched wide,
Face adorned with a mask of focus and exhilaration;
It hurtles him forth,
And the sea seems to cheer with every stimultation.

Nearby, there sits a couple on their blanket,
She leaning forward as her boyfriend rubs sunscreen on her back,
His hands soft and gentle against bare skin warmed by the sun.
They enjoy the moment in silence,
A lull in the pause and in the noise,
Their world contained within this spot, this very instant.

The beach is awash with color-a mad jumble of all shapes,
From towels and coolers to bags, they tell the story of somebody else's day.
Each beach story surrounds you,
Swimming into view-Mexican
Bikinis and color-splashy one-pieces,
Trunks and speedos,
Everyone is apparently staking their claim on this sun.

The fishermen stand silent and alone
While they cast their lines into the ocean;
A quiet rhythm, different from the jubilant chaos around.
Children run barefoot between the grown-ups,
Their squeals like music ricocheting against each other.

Older women, sophisticated and in sun hats, watch the scene with knowing eyes,
So soft in their smile for the carefree antics of the children,
While old men sit back, lined faces burned by the sun and years of stories,
Learning together on into the chaotic joy,
Watching grandchildren with the kind of love which fills a heart to its dilated state.
The wind changes, fingers across hair,
A cloud floats across the sun;
For a moment, the temperature drops,
And everything seems to pause.
Everyone looks up, as if called by some class bell,
And in that fleeting moment, the beach seems to hold its breath.

My eyes dart back to the book, which has been left almost untouched,
On pages almost written for me.
But here, with the world both timeless and passing,
So I may breathe wordlessly.
Definitely a “SIGH” moment,
Before I get back to the pages of another life.

The lifeguard scans the beachers from their post,
Silent protector of this paradise.
Laughter, splashes, running feet,
All carried by the sea's drone,
A constant reminder of life right on the tides—
Go up, go down, then go back up again.

And therein lies a dance of moments,
An on-and-off and on-rhythm of life,
Life acknowledges this place as more than these sandy shores,
It reflects everything:
The beauty, sadness, the joy, their peace,
All seemingly to melt into each other in harmony.

And, oh, the sun shines out again,
Her light coming forth from behind the veil of cloud.
I smile in my contentment, knowing that not every time tide ebbs
Are we filled with such perfect, fleeting life—wrapping us behind the wave again.