Hello, beautiful people! For this week's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge, Colleen Chesebro has provided us with a photo from Terri Webster Schrandt. Terri shared that the photo is "a filtered version of a lifeguard station and red patrol vehicle at Ocean Beach, Sand Diego, CA."
The temperature has been really high lately in my area. I go to the beach almost every Sunday with my friends. If the ocean cooperates, I'll swim to the buoy and back once or twice. I also tend to walk the beach for about fourteen lifeguard stations from where we "camp" to the jetty and then back. Usually, one of my friends joins me.
This past Sunday, we went for our usual walk, and it was stifling hot. Even with hats and water, the heat was getting to us. So, we made a pitstop at the fire rescue station building and sat under the cold shower station for a bit before finishing our walk. When I saw this picture, I decided to combine the two into a poem.
Colleen encouraged us to focus on imagery and to try to use the phrase "sun, sand, & sea" in our poem. I've decided to write a Double Ennead, which is a form Colleen created for the Carrot Ranch Literary Community's 99-Word Story Challenges. It consists of three stanzas, each with a 6-5-11-6-5 pattern, which equals 99 syllables.
the sun's sweltering rays
threaten to scorch me
sweat secretes out of every pore possible
and tries to cool me down
face flushes bright red
the sand absorbs the sun
each grain feels hotter
without shoes, my skin would blister and peel off
crabs burrow beneath it
searching for reprieve
the crashing waves beckon
a promised respite
thirsty skin soaks in the healing, cool waters
sun, sand, & sea...and me
inseparable
Have you ever stayed all day at the beach on a hot summer's day? Or do you prefer something a bit cooler? I'd love to hear from you.
Does the photo inspire you to write a poem? Join us here.
Beautiful imagery here (AJ Ange)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ange! I appreciate your kind words. :-)
DeleteI will look at that scene all day but from a shady spot. I will go to the beach at sundown. My favorite time for beach going. Xoxo lovely Etheree. Yve. Gifted. Xoxo. Selma.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Selma! There are always people coming to the beach when I am leaving toward the end of the day. Usually, it's not as hot as this summer feels, but I can't stay away. Lol! :-)
DeleteDouble Ennead. I’ve never written one. Thanks, Yve. Xo Selma
ReplyDeleteI took on the challenge when Colleen announced an anthology they were putting together. This is the fourth one I've written. :-)
DeleteYour poem conveys the experience so vividly, Yvette! I prefer the cool of the summer evenings, myself.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mark! We don't have "cool" summer evenings in South Florida. It's just varying degrees of hot. LOL! Thanks for visiting and sharing today. :-)
DeleteI love this each verse compliments the next 💜💜
ReplyDeleteThank you, Willow! I'm so happy you like it. :-)
Delete(Jules) I turn into a lobster if I were to be at the beach during the day - we always have a shelter with us if we go to the beach. I like mornings and evenings when the sun won't burn you. I like to beachcome... I've found some lovely coral pieces that storms have left.
ReplyDeleteI walk my own creek shore (no sand) almost every day. I've been cleaning out my gully (between my home and my neighbors) that fills when there is a storm. I've found some interesting things in the gully too. Mosty broken glass that I don't want to get into the creek. And litter too. But I also found two baby snapping turtles - they got put in the creek!
Cheers. ~Jules
That's so cool, Jules! Walking in nature is always so relaxing! My friends and I create a camp of beach umbrellas and overhead screens to protect us from the sun's rays since we tend to be there almost the whole day. I never sunbathe; I'm almost always under the umbrellas. I get plenty of sun from my swims and walks. We don't have many shells at my beach, just sand and the occasional seaweed. Lol! Thanks for sharing your creek experiences with me. :-)
DeleteYou describe it so well.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Reena! I appreciate you visiting. :-)
DeleteThat kind of heat is so dangerous, Yvette. I'm glad you were able to take a break and cool off in the midst of your walk. Your poem captured that hot beach beautifully. Stay safe, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Diana! My friend and I have agreed to either walk before 11 am or after 4 pm, when the sun isn't as hot. We aren't giving up our walks, but that kind of heat isn't enjoyable for walking. Thanks for stopping by! :-)
DeleteBeautifully expressed! A great read. Sadje
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sadje! I appreciate you visiting. :-)
DeleteSo hot in Arizona right now so this was very prescient. I still haven’t tried this form. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI always forget. Luanne
DeleteThank you, Luanne! I've been hearing on the news how hot it is over there. It's pretty hot over here as well, though you have the dry heat and we have the humidity. Do your best to stay cool! :-)
DeleteAmazing Ennead, Yvette. Gorgeously written.🤩
ReplyDelete- judeitakali -
Thank you, Jude! I'm so happy you like it. :-)
DeleteYour words paint the scene and weather perfectly, Yvette. I love the mild, warm summer days, but when it's scorching hot, I'm by a fan or in air conditioning. :) Stay cool! xo
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of a/c myself, Lauren! I'll brave the heat for the beach, though. Thanks for stopping by. :-)
DeleteYvi, your poem paints such a vivid picture in my mind. I love how you highlighted how the sun, sand, and sea made you feel.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Colleen! I'm happy my imagery worked! I appreciate you visiting. :-)
DeleteYvette, I so enjoyed your multi-sensory experience and that commune between you and it at the end.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa! I'm happy you liked it. :-)
DeleteI love the beach. I could live there.🥰
ReplyDeleteI know that feeling, Melissa! Thanks for visiting! :-)
DeleteI love the story you tell with the double ennead, and especially, the ending. I could feel the heat and thirst! I wish I could go to the beach every day! Great work! 👏
ReplyDeleteThank you, HJ! I get to the beach about once a week, if the weather cooperates. It's my way of resetting myself before the next week begins. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. :-)
DeleteI really enjoyed this Yvette. ☺️
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marje! I'm happy you liked it. :-)
Delete"sweat secretes out of every pore possible"
ReplyDeleteUgh! This is exactly why I don't go to the beach unless my wife makes me!
A fantastic write, Yvette ~ well done!
Much love,
David
SkepticsKaddish.com
Haha! It usually isn't that hot, but it was on that day. Thanks for sharing and making me laugh, David! :-)
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