Grit on the bottom of gravel-toughed feet
with different and wide waters spread out,
planting the perfect spot for a seat
while two little brothers excitedly run about.

If we hadn’t only left the mountains of home
the flatness of the Atlantic skyline would almost suggest that the world weren’t a perfectly round dome. 
But then the waves beat back and forth reminding us of a bigger design.

The heat of a blaring sun
sets the world and our skin aflame.
Just out of earshot a beachgoer calls out a vulgar name.

Hatefulness is unleashed as a man in the water unzips his pants…
I run to grab my children playing feet away in the sand.

We can’t always shield our children from the badness in the world, but we can teach them how to respond:

Love over everything, even when this life is anything but a day at the beach.