monotonous months of monochrome light
drear and cold as the fifties withdrew
when the sky suddenly turned a miraculous blue
riding cloud nine on that very first flight
where fairy pink shells were scattered in sand
and hoof prints of sea horse went cantering round
a rubber duck ring buoyed a salt water sprite
there were buttery crab petit déjeuners
a locket and laughter for an age six birthday
it was all seaside love from the very first sight
and Dad in his shorts and holiday frame
– what a change.
© Laura Granby 2015
A simple poem to suit the age as I join other versifiers for Sunday’s Poetry Pantry . And the Midweek Motif is SILENCE.
PoetryPix 
the overbearing sense of nostalgia is …. beautiful
glad that came through!
There is a feeling of warmth & nostalgia in this poem 🙂
Excellent write 😀
thank you Sanaa – was my first really happy memory
Aaah! I was there too 🙂
aah! “That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.”
Absolutely, Laura.
hoof prints of sea horse!! lovely!
oh to have the child’s imagination again – thank you!
How this beautiful poem so beautifully expressed brings back log gone childhood days.
many of the days were not as sunny as this holiday break though!
love those images..
❤
What wonderful memories shared. Six is such a delightful age…my granddaughter just passed through it. Enjoyed ‘a locket and laughter.’
Mary – I think that touch of alliteration slotted together well having tried several other combos
How wonderful those days at the beach could be at the age of six. I love the lighhearted rhythm here.. Just like a child skipping along,
the poem got lighter hearted as it formed – recalling what it felt like to be excited
delightful memories…”hoof prints of sea horse”…love the child’s perspective….
thank you – had to hold hard on to that perspective as the adult kept getting in the way Sumana
the sky is beautiful – loved the contrast against the golden sand.
the poem is a fantasy – the imagination is coming fo life. as long as we can remember the time we spark our imaginations – it will be never ending.
thanks for sharing this
the spark of imagination needs a lot of blowing on sometimes!!
I love the call and response sort of structure. Very well done.
thank you and am glad you mentioned that – the structure fell into place towards the end and I felt gave it the echo of memory
I love how deceptively simple this is, but when you really look harder you see how you’ve pieced it all together. I especially love how the lines in italics rhyme. Nice craftsmanship here!
wondered if I had over-simplified so reassuring comment thank you
This is so very magical…the sea horse cantering and the salt water sprite….ooh, this whole thing is so, so decadent with images of childhood fantasies. Love it 🙂
thank you & I think there is a poem in your words – “decadent with images of childhood fantasies” ❤
This brought back early memories for me–the beach and tidepooling–really a wonderful write!
ahh yes Audrey & thank you – tidepooling and seeing what treasures the sea had left to find- often something squelchy 😮
Simply lovely Lolly
Have a good Sunday
Much love…
❤
Those years from 5-7…oh the magical memories at the beach…I was laughing when I read ‘a rubber duck ring buoyed a salt water sprite’….I know that sprite. Laura you have such a way of weaving these memories with fabulous words chosen perfectly to make these images of memories we all want to relive.
I loved my rubber duck ring Donna – it was seriously sensational with a green mallard head – but the sprite never really learnt to swim! thank you for you a very nice comment
For a short time we lived on the shoreline. You brought back a ton of memories,
Elizabeth
what a great place to grow up Elizabeth 😎
Beautiful memories of an age six birthday girl. Lovely.
thank you Sherry blue sky!! a while after I took the picture it conjured this nostalgic poem ❗ the perspective of the family in the landscape made for distant memories…
Children do have s different way of looking at the world.
indeed and we poets must try to recall it!
A very nice “trip” into memory lane via your heart and art.
thank you – I like your phrasing