I tried to remember the tactility of a day at the beach as a child.
*
summer at the small inland lake
soft fleece blanket
lays on the warm sand
anchored with the cooler
and our flip flops
pulling off tank tops and shorts
warm breeze tickles the
hair on our arms and legs
sun pulsing and reddening
our skin as we watch
lugging the giant truck
inner tube to the water
leaving it to tiptoe in
feeling the mucky bottom
while our calves adjust
to the ice cold water
teeth chattering as
we walk out, our imminent
goal of total immersion
arms held high and squealing
as each segment of us submerges
until finally there is nothing to do
but plug our noses and let the
chill surround us
underneath the surface
silent scream, then
jumping up, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”
then we’re in
and can jump
and splash each other
*
we fight our way back
to shore, each step
against the sheer mass
of the water
we grab the inner tube
and fight over
who gets to sit on
and who will push
the rider is spun
tugboated
and splashed
after awhile we trade
*
mom calls us to shore
time to roast weenies
on sticks over the fire
we loll on the fuzzy blanket
and eat our dogs and chips
with cold root beer
that burns as we guzzle
we watch the boats
pull water skiiers
*
“No swimming for 30 minutes!”
*
we’re grounded to shore
an opportunity
to go clam hunting
pushing our feet into
the mucky iciness
until we feel the hard edges
toes straight down
then up under them
pulling fat clams
from the lake
with our hands
soon there’s a pile on the shore
they rest at the edge
until it’s time to leave
then all are hurled
one by one
back in
Tao Talk 
Great memories. You’ve really captured all the senses.
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thank you. yes, they were
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What a great nostalgic write! I can feel all of those tactile events as you write.
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thank you very much!
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Wow, beautiful!😍
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Thank you Richa
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I last be the detailed memories – I particularly enjoyed getting into the water with you. I could feel the cold creeping up!
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glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your kind words
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You’ve captured so much in this memory poem, Jade, I felt like I had been there with you! You’ve included so many very realistic feelings, such as the breeze tickling hair on arms and legs, the sun on skin, calves adjusting to the ice cold water and teeth chattering, that I found myself reacting too!
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glad you connected with the poem 🙂
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What a greatt day on the beach at the lake! Thank you for having me along Jade! You know thst 40 minute after eating thing has been debunked… 🙂
…rob from Image & Verse
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glad you enjoyed the day at the beach. no, didn’t know that about the debunking.
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What a great place and nostalgic feel… especially the throwing back of the clams (we used to fish crabs much the same)
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thank you very much. sadly, the lake where this happened is probably bereft of clams anymore. zebra mussels have pretty much taken over
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The thought of that first, cold splash keeps me on the shore.
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The critical juncture for me is when to take the total plunge under water. Living so near Lake MI (the lake in my memory verse is a small lake, linked to the big lake with a shallow channel), a person gets used to frolicking in ice cold water.
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Sugar White Quartz Sand
And Emerald Green
Water to
Touch
at Foot
and Hand
Just about the
Only kind of Beach
i for one can bear to Touch..
Dark Water Muck Definitely Yuck for me.. hehe..;)
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same here now 🙂 i remember going to other inland lakes with floating seaweed and i would scream if it touched me
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Ha! i’M
Lucky i
Survive.. Can’t
Even Touch
Clothes Out
Of The
Dryer..
Wife
Life
Savior..;)
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Very tactile verse!
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thank you!
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You are welcome!
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This invokes some lovely sense memories.
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