Back on the coast after what seems a year
though it was only half of that
still I'd nearly forgotten
how much I love the beaches
with their wealth
of driftwood
broken clamshells
bits of crab and kelp
sand dollars sometimes whole
the sound the waves make
as they break
the hissing
as the surge recedes
the way the light
plays on the ocean surface
and the delight our dogs take
in the chase
running wildly after gulls
knowing they'll never catch them
just excited to be
filling the air with beating wings