At Morro Strand State Beach

AT MORRO STRAND STATE BEACH

I.
Along Highway 1 going south
a strip of sand lays flat, wet and a deep tan
in the cool, misty air of the Central Coast.
Three daughters--thirteen to twenty--
stand silent at the water’s edge.
What are their thoughts as they gaze
out toward the horizon at the immensity
that helps make the planet a blue marble
in the farther immensity of the cosmos?

I watch as . . .
an easy surf washes over their thoughts--
like it washes over their feet--taking with it
on its slow course out, the complexities of
human life and all that we believe to be so
important--and brings them back again,
somehow changed and made simple,
                   easier to endure.

II.
Now momentarily altered, my older
daughters play as little children with long
tubes of rubbery seaweed, water filled
bulbs at the end---imagining they are being
attacked by sea snakes of antiquity.
I stand quietly by. . . remembering, while
my wife stands off alone, pulling in her
own reflections as the surf stops just short
                of her musings.
I think about the intricate sand castle
someone built earlier--complete with walls,
towers, and ramparts. Like most of history,
it will be washed away with time and tide--
much like the day we spent on this beach.

Author's Note

Continuing in "An American Journey West"

Reviews

[barleygirl]

Never having been part of a family like this, I love the way you depict spending quiet time together, separate but connected. You show us what might be going on in other people's heads in a nicely loving, undramatic, pondering way. Sometimes it's the connections made that mean more than the scene, but you also touch on the scene with good description, especially the kelp bulbs! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[kentuck14]

Yes . . . it was an interesting day!
T

[Eilis]

California is like a foreign country to me. I mean it feels that far off. So when I read your travelogue it’s exciting to imagine the different shore. I did look this location up just to get a feel for it and wow is it beautiful. Otherworldly almost in the photos I saw.

So, that feeling I got looking at the photo gave me some understanding of the meditative feel of this one. While standing on the strand always does make me feel meditative, there’s something deeper than that here.

I really enjoy the reflective nature of it. How it moves from thought to the sand castle and the meditation on how we will all become history at some point. I found that reflection stirring.

Another great installment in the series.

[kentuck14]

E,
I appreciate your comments and sharing on this piece. Thanks for your kind words and encouragement.
T

[R.E. Ray]

Tom, I enjoyed this poem so much I read it four times. Maybe because the weather here is miserable, and I love the California coast, I wanted to be standing in the same place. Yes, life is so complex, but snapshot-poems like yours provide us an escape, if only temporary from what lies upon our coast.

The ocean is a terrifying thing to me, mostly because its beauty hides its lethality. We're also reminded at such times and places how small and insignificant we are on this planet. Time and tides rush past us, as if we're nothing more than that seaweed and seashells of a past life.

In addition to the imagery and emotion created in this piece, I found a rhythm and rich alliteration that made it as smooth as that easy surf you described. I truly enjoyed this one, Tom. Happy travels and writing!

[kentuck14]

R.E.
The ancient Hebrew peoples were not a sea-going people . . . they saw the sea as a symbol of chaos as reflected in their writings. The power and majesty of the oceans should make us feel small and vulnerable . . . but it should be noted that in the Hebrew's ancient scriptures it is said that Yahweh made it impossible for the seas to go beyond their boundaries. To me this is an assurance of our safety from chaos. Thanks for your kind review and your thoughts.
T

[Crowley]

I have been there, that whole stretch of coast is so cool, although I had an odd vibe in Morro unlike any of the other beaches. I love your journey, it has me nostalgic for my own and I find a lot of solace in the reflections you have on your family time. Feels good. Great job!

[kentuck14]

C,
What was the odd vibe my friend?! I found our time there restful, meditative. Thanks for reading and your thoughts.
T