September Shore
by Maralee Gerke

At the end of Summer,
the hordes of tourists
have gone home
to work or school.

On the beach,
gulls and sandpipers
dine on left over picnic scraps
as waves serenade the shore.

There are no beach balls or sandcastles
and little sunburned legs to dodge.
When crowds disappear the sand
belongs to the hermit crabs, the starfish,

anemones, and sculpins in tidepools.
Human noise goes silent
as the natural rhythm returns
with each pull of the tide.



 

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