say
you are in a small town
looking for the beach
you know it was there
once
ages beyond a dream
mother's kerchief sailing
the wind
safe
in father's knowledge
there is something disconcerting
now
in buildings grown small
revealing only
colour
bright red richness
that was
not a dream
the people are gone,
too
as if a memory has been
depopulated
on every corner shrubs
shrink
winding streets do not
follow
the map
though your mind
says it was here
once
the calm is deceiving
the most casual incident
speaks change
a stone overturned
heralds the end of an
era
heart skips a beat
jumps like a spider
on the underside of
a rock
there is something
gone
in a swish of black
legs
it is august
on the shoulders of
the sea
a perfect day
the rocks form endless
chips
along the shore
sun glistening
at the edge
and you find
you have come beyond
the reef
past rippling tides
now there is another
spider
waiting on the rocks
smaller
bizarre
like
things in a dream
a ladybug deposits herself
in the space between
your toes
the tide comes in and
goes out
comes in and goes out
an accident on the beach
proves
you are on the right
track
as you stare at the
sky
for a signal to begin
like a film you
have come to see
for the second time
only
the ending has changed
the best actress is
missing
the one who swayed in
the wind
near the top of the
cliff
you knew it was her
by the way she leaned
to the edge
she has been replaced
by someone with a handkerchief
waving bravely over
the surf
does not
fit the scene
clashes
with the rocks
you cannot find the
colours of your dream
the face of a landscape
has changed
© Jeffrey Round 1992
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