The sea has always had a power over me
Since first I was taken there barely three
To find that each year it would be the rule
To go there when there was a break from school
At first it was just to paddle and bathe
Until the sea embraced me with a wave
Up above the searching seagulls would fly and squawk
Dad slept in deckchair, Mum watched like a hawk
Later as I approached my teenage years
I was free to roam without Mum in tears
I wandered far watching all the wild life
And like any boy had trusty penknife
And the gulls and terns flew high in sky overhead
While I scrabbled around searching sea bed
Every sign of oceans aquatic world
Would entrance me 'til in bed I was curled
I still walk the beach, I did yesterday
Some terns flew overhead and squawked a "Hey"
Illustration "At the seashore" by S. Anderson
The sea is an incredibly powerful magnet, Robin, for children and adults alike. I loved living beside the sea and am still only a short drive away. My favourite memories are of coach trips with my grandmother to Littlehampton, Margate and Brighton when I was little.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful journey - I am glad you still have the sea and the beech to enjoy
ReplyDeleteWonderful and delightful rhyme. Doesn't seemed forced, it just flows. Love this.
ReplyDeleteI love the memory in that tern calling out... sounds like a welcome back
ReplyDeleteLove the rhythm..the story telling..the connection to the sea. Beautiful poetry in image and sound.
ReplyDeleteYou are an amazing storyteller in rhyme.
ReplyDeleteGreat on the rhyme, Robin. My first feeling with the sea was when visiting my grandmother in oregon and we went to the Pacific beach to dig for crabs. Later as an adult I moved to within driving range of Galveston, (Texas). I would generally dip a little and then relax and listen to the wave action. We still do that on cruises, on our balcony, two or so trips a year.
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