The poem is Early Risers...

"Early Risers" illustration from Nancy Standlee for my "Dreams of the Turtle King" beach poem book.

The poem is Early Risers and the illustration is for a stanza in the poem ...

"I greet the early risers
as I walk down the beach..."

It was interesting who you would find on the beach at sunrise. Some people would be walking, some jogging, some sitting in a chair reading the paper. There was an AA meeting held above the water line on the sand that was usually wrapping up when I got to that part of the beach. The locals with their routines and the tourist with their white bodies anxious to get as much sun and fun as possible.