Memories Of The Beach

We went to the beach to get wind in our hair
to stand on the sand and simply to stare.
To let the surf tickle toes and dampen our clothes
as we played 'run away' 
from the wavelets at play.

We went to the beach to climb on the rocks
find cool shallow pools where we'd take of our socks,
and peer in the waters to see what we might find
that the waves of the sea,
had last left behind.

We went to the beach to find coloured shells
the kind that when placed to our ears
make the sound of the ocean appear,
and gathered rocks that we never would find
in the places we walked,
for most of the time.

We went to the beach and all that, we did find
and the smell of the salt refreshed our tired minds.
I'll never forget the laughter and sounds
and the freedom to run,
on that wet sandy ground.

We went to the beach my family and I
and there we were one,
with the ocean, the beach, and the sky.



-David Taylor




I stumbled across this poem accidentally while doing my usual rounds of the internet, and it stuck out to me so much that I figured I'd use it for the project. The poem vividly describes the experience of a trip to the beach. The poet uses his own sort of style for the poem with a definite yet non-standard structure, and a similar rhyme scheme. The poem contains four similar stanzas followed by a closing fifth, which breaks the pattern set by the original four, a common technique in poetry. It also appears that Taylor broke the last "line" of each stanza into two lines for added effect. There is definite rhyme, but the pattern changes from stanza to stanza. The pattern is aabcc ddefe ghhiji kklml non, if you can call that a pattern at all. The entire poem consists of imagery, as it is after all primarily a descriptive poem. I particularly like the ending, and found that it was very effective, making me do that sit-back-in-my-chair-and-look-up-and-to-the-right-with-my-arms-folded-across-my-chest-and-smile thing.