Sandcastles

some days i long to take
a bucket and spade to
Bembridge beach to build
castles with my brother
in dampened sand

magnificent with turrets
crenellated walls, tall towers
always with a drawbridge
surrounded by a deep moat

when the only company was
an odd wasp or two competing
for jam in our sandwiches
or the sun's rays freckling
my fair skin, burning my
exposed shoulders

i didn't mind the creep
of the incoming tide as we
watched it send fingers of foam
closer and closer

until eventually our
masterpieces of medieval fantasy
collapsed into a sunken mess
under swirling salty water
forever gone

Reviews

[Stella Armour]

How lucky you were to have siblings Chris, i was very bored when i was young and quickly had to learn to amuse myself.
In the long run i think it gave me an inner strength but i would have so loved to have siblings to share my life.
Love the imagery of your sandcastles and the tide coming in to claim them, memories to last a lifetime..

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Stella. I was very fortunate having siblings and parents who understood how those bonds later on in life with siblings grow from strength to strength. Have a lovely weekend my friend.

Chris

[S.zaynab.kamoonpury]

Wowww glad I didn't miss out on this one of your most fabulous masterpieces, it takes me back to childhood, and I still enjoy making sand castles and art with beach sand with kids so I enjoyed your artistic poetic creation and muse with it. We live quite near the Indian Ocean a few miles away. Kudos for a superb poem.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Zay, Zay. How are you and yours my friend?So good to see you. How lovely for you to live close to the Indian Ocean and for you still to be making sandcastles with your kids. Keep safe and well and expect a visit from me soon.

Chris

[Eilis]

What an amazing poem, Chris. You have encompassed so much in this. I have missed reading your poetry. You do always seem to have a way of offering something universal about the human condition. I remember days like this from my own childhood. My siblings and I having nothing more to worry about than who was going to tote the next bucket of water to fill the moat and wet the sand for our building.

There is a lovely nostalgia and longing to this. The things we don't see coming and the things we wish we could reclaim. I feel the pull of time and a sense of missing here. I love this poem. Such great work.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Eilis for this wonderfully enouraging review and for saying you missed my poetry. So pleased you enjoyed this memory of my late brother. Far more than just a memory as you picked up on. Keep safe and well. I do hope you will be spending more time here.

Chris

[Abhilash Hegde]

I can sense a hidden Philosophical message here. Nothing is permanent, what is built has to fall one day. Sandcastles - they are a wonder, as kids we always wanted to play and build one on the beach sand but may be as adults we want to watch it being built and dwell upon its significance. Sandcastles bring a myriad of memories and thoughts. Through the poem I could relate and feel nostalgic at times, but as I moved to the end of poem - it was all philosophical for me.
I sank into the layers of life lessons as I read the below lines,
"masterpieces of medieval fantasy
collapsed into a sunken mess
under swirling salty water
forever gone"

Very thought provoking! Enjoyed reading this.
Thanks for sharing, Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Abhilash, thank you for your very welcome and thoughtful review. Much appreciated.

Chris

[Fay Slimm]

Your memory struck a chord in my own mind Chris.........Building and losing along the way - - those were the day eh my dear friend ? - - a beautiful read.

[Chris Shaw]

Losing those sandcastles after all the hard work was an early lesson in life for the losses to come, including that of my younger brother. This is a special memory. Thank you for your visit dear Fay.

Chris

[Betty Hermelee]

A vibrant picture of a day at the beach; and what fun to build sand castles and watch them disappear with the tide. there is lovely detail in the building of the sand castle and the wasp in your sandwich and the sun bringing out your freckles. Lovely read Chris, flows gently like a rippling stream. xo Betty

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you dear Betty for this lovely review. All good wishes.

Chris

[Lydia Shutter]

Forever gone except the sweet memories. I have similar memories of my cousin and I on the Jersey shore and then on the shore in Miami Beach. Those castles had drizzled wet sand on the turrets and they were all masterpieces. The innocence of childhood shines here, Chris. My favorite line is "we watched it send fingers of foam closer and closer"...delightful imagery! Lydi**

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Lydi**. Some of those childhood memories keep us going later in life. Always good to see you.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

there are things we need to build during our lives...even if we know they are moribund....

And I also feel this related more to the idea of building something together...
knowing it could be destroyed but then we could build again.
that process is fun...often we only think about end results and what
we gain from what we do...rather than enjoying doing it.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Jacob, so interesting your take on my words. I thank you for that and your continued support always.

Chris

[Jon Roggie]

Sitting by the Colorado,
sand drifting through my hands.
River water flowing by.

Little boy,
building castles in the sun.

Blythe, California in the early Seventies.

Jon

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Jon for sharing with me. Delighted that my words took you back to Blythe in the seventies. Keep safe and well my friend.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

There are metaphors for life everywhere. This little beachside tower of babel is a prime example. All of our fine works will one day succumb to the incoming tide. Pity is many don't have as much fun with the process as you and your brother did.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you John. We did indeed have fun and he is sadly missed. I appreciate your comments.
read moreThank you John. We did indeed have fun and he is sadly missed. I appreciate your comments.

Chris