Beachcombing: August 1989
By Scott Slemmons
I have been down to the coast
to breathe the sea air
& swim in the ocean
I've kicked wet sand from my heels
& pulled seaweed from my hair
At night, the saloons
are filled with music
Starched cowboys croon across the
street from mayhem-raged headbangers
A piano man competes
with the blues jam two bars down
An old man stands on a darkened pier
& rages at the universe
Near him lies a boy with a bloody knee
He plays a harmonica slowly
laboring through an improvised bit of nonsense
A boy and a girl sit on the beach
& watch the moon in the water
Miles offshore
a man drowns
Before the night ends
most of the musicians have joined the blues jam
the old man has bandaged the boy's knee
the boy & girl have gone home together
I have returned to the motel
& fallen asleep without washing
the sand off my feet
© 1999 by Scott Slemmons