walking on the beach

walking on the beach
i heard
the crash of waves,
smothering the sound of traffic
on the other side of the
single sea grass covered sand dune
dividing
where
humans lived, worked and were preoccupied
from the beach where people are.

on the beach side of the sea grass covered sand dune
people stopped to watch waves
roll in.  the water
swelling up, up,
then the moment of hesitation before
the crest falls and curls,
foaming towards the beach.
the sound of water falling, colliding
on itself drowning out the non-beach sounds
and causing my body to sigh in relief and finally relax.

the sound of gulls screeching in the breeze.
the mist at the far end of the grey beach, leftovers
from yesterdays rain.
a dolphin, sleek and grey, its fin sliding in and out of the water,
seeming to keep pace with us as walked.
boys throwing a football, laughing.
girls squealing in the surf as waves crash over them.

a father and small boy carefully measuring the waves
before getting their toes wet.  the boy turning to grin up
at his dad and then gaining courage, charging out into
the incoming wave, only to be surprised and topple over.

an older couple meander barefoot
with their pants rolled up midcalf.
alternating between touching and
keeping within arms length, it's almost
as if
they are on a third or even tenth honeymoon.
they want to be together.
their heads come close in conversation.
they look out to where the waves are
and forget about time.

the smell of salt in the wind.
clouds racing along the sky, finally
breaking to allow
the sun
to warm our faces and tinge them with red.
the water packed sand firm beneath our feet
and broken shells littering our path
and marking the highwater point.

oh, what a morning we had on the beach.
i could almost forget that place on the other side
of the sea grass covered sand dune.

photos by me in myrtle beach, sc, usa