Seaside Reverie

First step off the boards, shockingly hot and prickly
Second step, cooler and softer...
Wind sweeps the hair from your face
Closer to the rushing calmness, leaving footprints behind
Finding the perfect spot to come to rest
Drop and set up your own little paradise
Sink into the cold, damp mush... toes curl over tiny pebbles
Contrast of the hot to cold, just right
Burying your stress deep beneath
Lifting handfuls, spread your fingers, soon empty again

So simple and carefree under the sun
Quiet birdsong, giggles, airplanes
Interactive soundtrack, complete with smells, sights, touch
Fishy, salty air fills your senses
Visions of umbrellas, kites, boats
Castles made with innocent determination and imagination
Lean back, breathe in and out
Soaking up rays of precious gold

Time to test the waters, a rush of excitement and dread
Standing just at the edge, afraid to move
But it comes anyway, creeping closer
Shrieking, you tiptoe further and further, then run for shore
Eventually numbness takes your limbs
Giving in to the sparkling beauty
Diving with each crashing wave, floating away in your mind
Lips turn salty, skin is raw and dry
Your hair plastered into frizzy knots

But only fun and laughter can be seen from shore to shore
Even as the redness starts to show
And tired muscles start to ache
You never want to leave this place of wonder and peace
On the way, anticipation grew
Heading home, reality sets in
What once was a weekend away, now feels like only hours
A fairytale, turned inside out
Happily ever backwards

Vacation, Retreat, Escape, Renewal...Only for fleeting moments
Inevitably repose will fade away
We go back to the daily routine
But somewhere deep inside we hold the cherished memories
And we silently anticipate return
To the sand, the water, the song
Where ocean meets land, heaven meets earth, and we forget ourselves again