Havey's Beach
by Priscilla Turner Spada

The photo, black and white with edges frayed,
shows a view through trees to a sunlit beach.
You know the day is sunny; the ink-black oaks
dapple white-bright spots on all the folks
gathered there. It's Nineteen forty-eight.
Attentive mothers cross the grainy sand
with each small child in hand, ready to teach
the ins and outs of breathing as they float.
A sleek canoe glides by on a silent wake
with girls in wide-brimmed hats and men in boaters.
You can almost hear the muffled laughter
drifting on the currents of the river.
With ripples of light glinting on dark water,
the river disappears beneath the bridge.


(Havey's Beach previously published in Merrimac Mic: going with the floes, 2016)



 

Return to: