Beach Daydream, 1976

 

Magical, mystical beauty, ephemeral and fleeting.

Cardiff, Leucadia, Encinitas, Moonlight Beach.

Towering sand bluffs, iceplant-loaded.

Warm smiles, cool people.

Pristine beach, blue Pacific, limitless sky.

I write to remember these, and to honor them.

 
I run relaxed, fast, and long on the smooth, flat sand,
Leaping high over mounds of brown kelp

And an occasional sleeping seal.

Sunshine and sweat on the tanned muscle of my lean body,

Breathing tangy sea air hard and fast,

Euphoric, elated, and free!

 
Bounding into the crashing breakers –

Vaulting over, into, and through the icy rampant surf,

Shocked with cold briny taste and smell of ocean;

Filled with an intensity of elation surpassing mere delight,

Infused with joy and energy, I’m alive as never before!

A euphoric expansiveness, a childlike exhilaration,

An unbounded ecstasy. . .

California surfer girls living the dream;

Dads and daughters sculpting sand castles;

Moms and sons gathering seashells;

Hushed surf; quiet voices; a child’s distant laughter.

No bonds, no limits, no cares. . . life cannot be more perfect.

 
I’ve discovered beauty within and around me.

Well-being flows through the ambience

Of a golden afternoon glow.

The sun dips lower, whispering, “I’ll be back.”

Indigo far above; bright orange on the horizon.

 
A vivid treasured daydream of reality from long ago.

It will sustain me forever. . .

 

Will Walsh