Found Along the Shore

My bare feet step upon the warm and grainy sand
Of the ocean beach, my home.
I’ve been away
And this is the first barefoot walk
On the beach this season.
Sharp seashells poke the soles of my feet.
Sand fleas jump at my presence.
A light breeze blows off the ocean
Leaving my skin sticky, salty.
The sun shines warm on my shoulders
Even though it is September and
Fall is approaching.
I lean over to handle a piece of driftwood
Left smooth by the wind, water and sand.

Found a clam shell – white, purple and brown.
A snail shell, broken and sharp on one end.
A scallop, a mussel, a razor clam and some seaweed.
Found a mermaid’s purse – a skate egg case
And those little shiny shells
that look like toe nails.
I once strung some together on fishing line
And hung them from a tree.
Their quiet tinkling sounds
always bringing me back to the ocean.
Found some stones – one grey, one white, one pink,
And pocketed them.
Found a sand dollar.
Found the holes in the sand from “pissers” (steamers) spewing water
As the tide seeps slowly away from the shore.
Found a jelly fish, its bubbly body still and lifeless upon the sand.
Found the shell of a baby horseshoe crab,
This creature, too no longer alive.
Found my stride along the shoreline
As I walked, feet half in water, half on land,
Smelling the sea,
Feeling the sun,
Working my calf muscles upon the sand,
Molding itself under my feet,
Taking me in, welcoming,
Inviting me home.