This is just like home, only with
Summer breeze and sunshine
Instead of walls.

For many, the cool air of a
Shaded living room would be
A sweet relief, but for her, the Sun
Is the reason not to be there.

This is where the summer comes
When it wishes to delight
The hearts of those who love it most.

This is just like home, with music
And teen fiction and parents
To ignore, but with the possibility
Of an even suntan.

I prefer to be here as it really is,
Watching the waves shimmer onto
The rocks as many sails float
Slowly by. I wish I could immortalise
This like Betjeman, but I cannot
Escape my twenty first century cynicism.

She is growing ever closer to womanhood,
But she is enough of a girl to walk
Down to the sea with her proud,
Protective father, splashing him for
What he fears may be the last time.

08/02/2011

Posted on 10/14/2011
Copyright © 2025 Richard Vince