Thursday, August 8, 2019

Full Pardon

My son racing up and over the sand dune to Broadkill Beach, DE
(I was right behind him... the sand felt SO lovely...)
Full Pardon

Cumulus clouds are a siren calling "Surrender"
to the strand of sand shining beneath midday sun,

soon the heat beneath my feet, quickly filling in,
erasing all evidence of slipping away.

Blame it on a cotton-blue sky and swaying grass either side;
curling sea-hook grasps my waist, pulls me forward,

hair whips about, blouse fills up as if a mainsail,
arms outstretched, one windward, one leeward,

as I tack left, turn through courting wind.  The path leads me
over arched sand dune; first glimpse of endless beach

and a horizon smudged; multiple brush strokes
of variegated blues and greens upon a canvas.

Blame it on the seagulls, their soaring akin
to blue-grass ballads rife with riffs, grace notes, improvisation;

not so much their squawking, wailing songs
alerting the flock to a possible food source.

Yet I rejoice in their audacity, their surrender to summer.
Blame this escapade on my own rogue self;

for the day won't wait, can't be replaced.  The time is now
and I grasp it with all I've got.  Unapologetic.

by Margaret Bednar, August 8, 2019

This is linked with "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Music with Marian - Juice".  The prompt really screamed for a "sassy" poem, but I used the phrase "Blame it on the..." minus the sass.  I have just returned from a week-long trip to NYC and I am SO glad I had a bit of my ocean for two days - it is a little longer for me to take the coastal route, but so worth it.

I believe Grammar Heads will squirm as "unapologetic" should be "unapologetically" (I think that is the case, but I'm no grammar head)  I just like the way it sounds with no "ly" added so I used my creative license :)

I invite you to listen to me read my poem:



9 comments:

Marian said...

Margaret, this is such a wonderful poem! We were in the same place, but yours is so pastoral and pretty. I adore it. And I'm impressed you came up with this so effortlessly and quickly. Yes!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

You took me right to the beach. I could feel the wind, with your blouse filling up like a mainsail. Cool description. Glad you followed up NY with the beach, pleasure upon pleasure.

tonispencer said...

for the day won't wait, can't be replaced. The time is now
and I grasp it with all I've got. Unapologetic.....

Bravo! this is how the ocean makes me feel too. Your blouse filling like a mainsail...what can I say?

Jim said...

I ran up that hill with you, with my flock of black buzzards, we surveyed this bunch. Not feed for us, way too lively.
Welcome home, it's time we went to New York too. I also took a couple of "poet's license" licks on the grammar side, I'll forgive you.
..

Jennifer Wagner said...

This is just joyous! And hear, hear! to creative license ;-)

robkistner said...

Great poem Margaret! Free, light, fun... and certainly no apologies necessary! :-)

Lori said...

Seize the day!! And don’t apologize for squeezing every last moment you can get! I could feel the heat of the sand beneath my feet and the pull of the wind.

Susie Clevenger said...

Oh I love this! Take all the beautiful a day gives and celebrate it!

Kerry O'Connor said...

I really do love this description of a beach day. You infuse each stanza with enthusiasm and movement.