The waves race up the shore,
and then retreat quickly.
It’s hard to tell what they seek
or what they leave behind.
Children paddle at the waters edge
and then scramble to higher ground.
Making believe each in coming wave
is chasing after them.
Seagulls fly overhead,
looking down upon it all,
waiting to swoop down,
should any child let his ice cream fall.
The parents with newspapers sheltering their heads
are so unaware of the dramas played out there,
as children play,
happily on the beach.
(29 May 2007)