May, 2001

A Quiet Day at the Beach   ©

by   Dana Zicherman 
 

 
When the salt air sings through a shell to your ear,
Or you hear a crash that is unmistakably the sea,
You know you're here,
Here by the sea.

When the sun glistens off the rolling waves,
Thundering, rumbling, and crashing endlessly,
And the foam comes to tickle your feet,
You know you're here at the sea.

If the lighthouse dizzies you with its strict bold lines,
Or you find a seagull feather,
You know you're here,
Here by the sea.

When the swaying, luscious green grass touches your feet
And the golden sand hypnotizes you with crabs,
You know you're here,
By the sea.

When your mother calls you from out in the distance,
Worrying about the darkening sky,
You can go and tell her about your day at the beach,
When you went in the sea,
When you went in the sea with me.

Originally published in the North Carolina Poetry Society's
"Award Winning Poems, 2000" 
Used with the permission of the Poet.

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