Raglan by the Sea
the cicada
sheds
its sepia life
sunset
the cicada sheds
its sepia life
West coast sunset –
cicada’s chant devotion
quietly
pohutukawa
stretches to touch black sands
and blue sea
clambering over stones
boys looking for tadpoles –
forever hopeful
the snapper swims
a dance
around my hook
snapper
swims a dance
around my hook
hats on heads
boys grin
clutching little fish
a seaweed ball
to throw on the beach –
like my father made
boogie boarding
across the shallows
my sons wet laughter
sun on the water
Raglan by the sea
the freshest day
beneath our boat
in the sea lives
lord knows what
the tide eddies
and whirls
all around me
spring tide
eddies and whirls
all around me
on the beach
footprints stretching on
forever
look at the rock pools
the sun is caught
in every one!
down the hill
among the toi toi
children loudly lost
scuttling sideways
low tide boys
hunt for crabs
tui in the kowhai
kids in the sand
sun across the sea
body surfing
swallowing the sea -
a steep hill home
above the water
pohutukawa flowers
as red as the sky
See also the Long Summer page
All poetry (c) Steven Clarkson 2012-2013