Long shadows on the beach cast from small sandy feet
Sodden towels sunken in wallows half buried trodden deep
Battered box of Crimpy Chicken Arnott’s Shapes
doled out to small prune wrinkled hand taking them gingerly nibbling trying not to dislodge sand from a crusty face.
Sea breeze gets up whisking crests of salt up the beach
Shrieks at imagined monsters and real crabs pinching feet
Blue snot faced toddlers shiver swathed and cuddled
dad’s back broad covers daughter to leeward his long gaze up harbour over her shoulder accompanies swaying coddle
Courageous leaps and earnest paddle puppy dog
Teetering on toes precarious balance as swell bobs
Swamped then floated a breath snuck between trough
two year old foray out of their depth both swimmer and salvager hovering in place testing threshold of had enough
Sandcastles risen sandcastles razed empires of play
Reddened crusty skin watches on near the end of the day
Five more minutes darling you’re freezing it’s dinner time
it’s been hours at the beach multiplies into days of delight to be recalled as summer holidays end sublime.