Memories of the Beach

One of my poems from 2010

Memories of the Beach

Searing summer heat, intense as it ever was

Girls clad in bikinis, Grandma never dreamt of.

Throngs of ardent sunlovers, each competing for a spot

On a narrow stretch of burning sand, ‘Tween the ocean and the asphalt.

Bronzed, athletic lifeguards, their actions guaranteed

Waiting for the rescue call, of those that did not heed.

Hands applying sunscreen, like an instant marinade

To skin, so young and tender, a slim chance of barricade

Young men, in their boardies, strutting out their stuff

Like a flock of horny roosters, all calling each other’s bluff.

Waves as high as Kombi vans, come crashing to the sand

Bodies try to surf them, trailing outstretched hands

Then queueing at the kiosk, for drinks as cold as ice

To survive the return journey and still be bloody nice

All these things I now remember, as the scalpel travels deep

Alongside a small dark tumour, I do not wish to keep.

I painted this beach scene in the same year as I penned the poem, 2010.