Beach Front Property

Along the pier, planked and weathered,
boats tethered to the slips with twisted lines.
Spattered bow with gull souvenirs;
airborne psychopaths swooping
like kamikaze canaries on steroids.
And the noise in constant barrage
is a din that's never done.

But in the distance and on all sides,
the vignettes are very telling.
To the right the congregant gulls
continue their cackle, a drone.
Before wandering eyes, a horizon calls
sun speckled and bright, a light
of enormous clarity bringing this day

to a promising start. It is good
for your heart to be blessed by the beauty
inherent in this shore's edge.
Behind you are all the journeys
that have brought you away from a past
tattered and trampled, over-sampled
and weary. You can't go back again

no matter what your friends say.
For today, you take what's left.
Or to your left. Up the shore a way,
she stands in mirrored contemplation,
a situation you've encountered a myriad
of times; written in prose and rhymes
of every new view. Oblivious to you

she is lost in thoughts all her own.
A seminal glance; a chance look
that crosses paths and distance
to plant the seeds of curiosity
at trepidation's feet. She, 
with her sweet smile (when
she gets around to it) and tender wave. 

New "neighbors" sharing the open waters
along this knowing shore. Memories 
of former lives play in repetition;
new players in this ongoing game.
The outcome isn't always the same,
but this pier brings you back to start;
to beach front property and exploring hearts. 

© JPW 2013

Poetic Asides by Robert Lee Brewer - Prompt # 235 - "Front" poem

Poets United: Verse First - The Places You Love