BEACH SYMPHONY

photo by S. Auberle

Tanka (5-7-5-7-7 syllable lines)
These tankas work individually
or as a complete poem.

BEACH SYMPHONY

old man sits alone
a seawall holding his bones
heart hammered in stone
old woman laughs on a bench
the ocean sings beside her

surfers blade the waves
sleek as seals in morning light
they laugh at dying
the next wave will always come
they will always conquer it

wedding by the sea
Annie and Jeff are their names
keep laughter alive
the priest says and blesses them
against whatever may come

the grey dread-locked man
steps out from under a pier
sleeping bag held tight
racing a laughing seagull
to someone's abandoned lunch

old man and woman
side by side on the seabench
she touches his stone heart
they laugh at eternity
the next wave will always come

- mimi