The Beach

by Duncan Jones

The rolling ocean, blue and gray

The white sand in the sun

The frisbees and the volleyballs

The smiles from everyone

The inner tubes and barbecues

The babies and the toys

The giant castles made of sand

The pretty girls and boys

The turquoise of the shallows

And the kites up in the sky

The snow cones and umbrellas

And the muscles jogging by

The flip-flops and the towels

And the tan skin and the totes

The floating rafts and far away

The skiers and the boats

The singles and the families

The surfers and the boards

The lifeguards and their whistles

The bikinis and the shorts

The swimmers and the jellyfish

The barefoot soccer games

The sandbars and the stereos

The drinks with fancy names

The snorkels and the seashells

Sun lotion and sunglasses

The seagulls in the ocean breeze

How the beautiful day passes

Then one by one the families go

And soon the others too

And then the turquoise fades away

Into a deeper blue

And slowly sets the red-orange sun

And then the water's dark

And they'll all be back tomorrow

Because no one saw the shark