Brushing off the Sand
By Co Bauman
Angry waves thrash jagged rock
High-pitched squeals of childhood
as pudgy toes meet frigid temps
Moist cashmere sand, a soft cushion
for a weary body
High-pitched squeals of childhood
as pudgy toes meet frigid temps
Moist cashmere sand, a soft cushion
for a weary body
The air
so fresh, so salty, so gentle
with its billowy breeze
Acrobatic white gulls pierce the air
with their hungry cries
as they scavenge swarms of flies
and salvage salty picnic remnants
Rhythmic waves a constant reminder
that what comes in…always washes out
While the endless horizon
provides a canvas
for infinite possibilities
Calming,
with persistence,
my breath flows in sync with the waves
Its air holds my sorrow
In, out, in, out
like the sea
Though I grieve
the tide dares me to let go
Such bone-deep peace I find in this place…
Where home used to be
Colleen “Co” Bauman was born and raised in Kansas City, MO, the fourth of three boys and three girls born in under eight years. She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and pursued a career in public relations, marketing, and non-profit management before starting her favorite job – raising three kids born within three years to whom she introduced, with her husband of 26 years, every wonderful thing this world has to offer – nature, athleticism, music, food, traditions, holidays, faith, family and love. Now she is a freelance editor/proofreader who manages rental properties and fills the void of a newly empty nest writing non-fiction as a member of the Kansas City Writer’s Group. Co loves family time, running, reading, vegetarian cooking, yoga, travel, and sitting on any beach. She is currently undertaking a full house purge and feeling freer every day from the confines of owning too much stuff!