"Beachcombers" illustration from Nancy Standlee for my "Dreams of the Turtle King" beach poem book.
The poem is Beachcombers and the illustration is for a stanza in the poem ...
"The beachcomber regulars
are out again this morning,
sweeping the sand with their
metal detectors..."
When I lived in Florida, I would spend time on weekend mornings walking the beaches. Sunrise is a wonderful time to experience the beach. The sun, wind, waves and sand all come together with such gentle but fantastic energy.
I would walk along the beach and just enjoy the environment created by the elements and observe many things: people, animals, objects, contemplative thoughts...
During my walks, I would compose short poems in my head about what I was seeing. As soon as I had enough poems that I couldn't keep more in my head, I knew it was time to head to the car and grab my pen and write them down. I guess I just enjoyed the challenge of composing the poems in memory and didn't want to stop and write them down while on the beach for a chance to miss something!
This poem came from watching the folks with their metal detectors sweeping the beaches for treasures. It was ironic to me that they were on the beach, many with headphones on to hear the beeps more clearly, and they were missing the entire amazing sunrise as they focused so intently on that elusive object of "worth". To me what was worth the trip to the beach was what was happening all around, at that moment, as the sun transitioned into its day.
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