Literature Tuesday .... a little something from me

The Real World

I remember as a child

Counting shells at the beach at the edge of the tide.

The ocean tickling my toes with its babble & bubbles,

Before quickly returning to the sea with a urgency to see other shores.

My body smelled like coconut & sand

Briny and Fresh

My skin was tight with dried salt,

            My ears full with the call of the gull & the woosh of the shore

My back was hot from the sun, my face cool from the ocean breeze;

            As I sat in my bright orange bikini with big yellow flowers.

And I counted my shells,

            For these were my currency for a long day …..

Of being a captain of a pirate ship,

            Saving my bounty from the waves crashing the rocks.

For being an environmentalist,

            Saving starfish from killer rays probing their tide pool homes.

For being the queen,

            Saving my castle from the surge of the sea.

For walking from one end of the beach to the other,

Saving the most beautiful shells from the depth of the tide;

To settle in my pile and be washed and shined and counted;

            As I dream of distant lands and treasures that will come my way.

Today is a bright and sunny day,

            Warm breezes kissing the trees outside.

And as I remember back to my youth,

            And my shells

I count the people bustling by,

            All as unique as the shells on the beach.

Black and white
     Men and women
          Tall and short
               Bobcut, dreads, pony tails, afros & braids
                    Long skirts, short skirts, suits, slacks & jeans,
                         High heels, no heels, sandals, sneakers & boots.

Single parents, expecting parents,

     Parents of twins, triplets or quads,

          Hopeful, frustrated, tired parents,

       Those wishing for children,

            Those happy to appreciate the children of others.

People who work in an office,       

     People who push paper, movers & shakers,

  People who make things, sell things, create,

           People who make millions,

                People who make the rent.

Some live in grand mansions,
        Some in one room apartments,

             Some in cozy cottages or dorms,

                  Some carrying their home in their backpack,

               Some live in glass houses & should not throw stones.

Dreaming of distant lands and treasures that will come their way.

                                                                                                               ~Leann (6/28/10)