Lavallette Beach

Couldn’t make rocks skip so
I watched you make them hop
4-5-6 times across the bay

Our fishing line snagged a crabber’s trap
Thought we caught a bass but it
Was only an empty steel cage

Our mommies and daddies lead us
Down to the beach where
The men bodysurfed
Popped open beer cans while
The ladies waded up to their knees
Along the shoreline waiting
For the clouds to take a lunch break

We would play tag with the tide
Trotting back and forth
Until noon brought the simmering
August heat upon us
And you would give in
Slipping on your water wings
Diving into the waves head first

You would wave me in
First pleading
Then chastising
But I would stay dry
Too afraid of jellyfish and
Wet sand in my swimsuit
Instead I remain at the water’s edge
Like a napping snapping turtle
Anticipating the serenade of
The ice cream trolley

We would discuss our Italian ice selection
Like three scholars debating the existence of god
You would predictably go with Cherry
While I was torn between
Grape and Orange

Your little brother would yell
How he wanted Apricot
But there is no Apricot Ice
We’d tell him
Well then I want Jelly Bean
He would reply

Eventually he would cry because
He lost his shovel
The third one of the week

We would blow bubbles
Bury our action figures in the sand
Build a wall around our blankets

Until the ice cream trolley arrived and
Our grins quickly submerged in a glaze
Of cold sugar
Our pockets stuffed with seashells

We would fall asleep on the dunes
But not before your brother dropped his ice cream
And my father would promise to take him
To play miniature golf to stop his crying

In the middle of our dreaming
The sun would slowly crawl back into
The ocean
The evening breeze would enter the scene
Acting as our cue to wrap our towels around our waists
And head back to the house for
A shower and a Barbecue
Where we would play
Candyland and Connect Four
Until Bedtime