Summer holidays once took us to sea
Mum and Dad and my brother don't you see
Went to grandparents with whom we did board
Which those days was all that we could afford
If the sun decided to shine for us
We would walk to the beach or take a bus
To sit on the sand or the pebbly bit
Depending entirely what the tide saw fit
In those days I hadn't been taught to swim
So to wade in the shallows was my whim
Or collect shells and pebbles that looked good
To show to Ma while she prepared food
The promenade I'd walk with no cares
While parents dozed off in their deckchairs
I'd try my hand on the small putting green
Or ride the sideshows though still not a teen
Later on I went to the coast alone
With cousin we walked miles being windblown
Going to flicks despite were underage
Were both tall so never caused an outrage
Many years have passed since those long gone days
Married now with kids of our own, hip hurrays
A distant country is where I'm now living
But the seas salty smell is still giving
Image found at Pixabay.com
I can see the boy searching for stony treasures to show mom, and the teenager watching movies said to be too much for his age. Those memories grow like smiles on the face of the adult, who grows up to fulfill his own role... but in his heart, there will always live the salty sea sent of when he was a boy.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a heart-stirring write, Robin!💝 Your poem reminded me of my own childhood memories of visiting the seaside 😃 and I too would "collect shells and pebbles that looked good." Thank you so much for writing to the prompt!💝
ReplyDeleteLovely memories, Robin. Once one has lived by the sea, one never forgets.
ReplyDeleteI loved your poem, Robin. I was 18 before I ever saw the sea, and what a revelation it was. It still leaves me lost in wonder.
ReplyDeleteI remember when my kids were little and excited to talk my or my husband's ear off about the things they found. It made me smile thinking of those days.
ReplyDeleteAn unforgettable time.
ReplyDeleteLovely sea memories Robin
ReplyDeleteHappy Wednesday
Much❤love
So beautiful! I would love to live by the beach, love sea so much. Have a lovely day☺
ReplyDeleteA lovely memory, Robin, which reminds me of my own childhood summers and day trips to the seaside with my nan. I appreciate the line ‘If the sun decided to shine for us’ – British weather has always been unpredictable – the pebble beaches!
ReplyDeleteWonderful memories of the sea.
ReplyDeleteCousins are special, aren't they, Robin. I'm glad you remembered to place a cousin here. Mine are dying off, two older and one younger. I need to check up on those remaining. I call it a "cousin holiday", all mine are in the U.S. Midwest except for me being in the South.
ReplyDelete..
I enjoyed these reminiscences – not too unlike my own, growing up in that very same distant country. (In the southernmost State of it, which is said to be the most like the UK.)
ReplyDeleteI seem to have missed this earlier; glad to have caught up with it now.