The Beach Weeps while Summer Sets – So Long, Summer 2020

How was everyone’ summer? Probably like everyone’s year…weird.

I normally never want summer to end, but this year, I feel like I am still waiting for it to start… Or maybe I am just waiting for the entire year to be over. Not that a January 1 date will automatically change everything for the better. But, still…

What I do know is that I spent more time at home. I also know that, despite the despair of the year and what feels like the absence of a “normal” summer, I did still enjoy so much of what these warmer months tend to bring. So I hope everyone did as well…

I hope you felt sunshine on your face.

I hope you felt sand in between your toes.

I hope you saw friends and family.

I hope you rode a bike

or went for a hike

or devoured an ice cream cone

or read a book on a front porch somewhere.

I hope you BBQed

or swam

or saw fireworks

or sung by a firepit.

I hope summer was sweeter to you than sour

and that you are moving along through this weird year

gaining momentum and memories.

Being home a lot more this summer than past years, I spent a lot of time in the backyard. There is a tree in our yard called a Weeping Beach. It is beautiful. It comes abloom in the spring, and weeps life into the summer season.

I entered into a writing contest this summer. #SunWriteFun focused on a summer theme somehow. The requirements were that it had to be nonfiction or informational fiction, less than 200 words and for ages 4-12. I wanted to do something summer themed but focus on a topic that also took on the seriousness of our current state. The Weeping Beach in my backyard inspired me to write this piece that won a prize in the contest.

I am sharing what I wrote here with you all today, in honor of the last day of Summer 2020. I hope that it helps you cherish summer and appreciate what we have – keeping the promise to take care of the beautiful things that live around us….especially each other.

WEEPING BEACH

by Melissa Rutigliano

The beach weeps

and needs a sweeping.

The sea’s tears cry

from years of dirty keeping and salty practice.

Can you believe,

our destination of summer dreams,

weeps because of us?

The paper blows through sandy shores.

And even though the people know,

it gets ignored

and blows some more.

The gull pops plastic in his mouth.

It drops,

plops,

flops to the ocean’s top.

It braves the waves,

sinking,

shrinking…

what are we thinking?!

The turtle tangoes and tangles

with offshore pieces and foreign parts

that do not belong in her home.

The seal swallows,

her mate follows…

these creatures do not swim alone.

The dolphins are caught,

the sharks shell-shocked,

the fish are tricked into thinking our garbage is food.

Our dreams of summer

suffer down under.

Is there something we can do?

The crab crawls, crazed

looks up through a hazy daze,

and stares at the glistening sun.

Does he see a brighter day to come?

When we start the upkeeping,

continue the sweeping,

so the birds,

creatures,

fish,

mammals,

crabby crustaceans,

and all the beach’s makings…

can stop their weeping.

It’s a summer’s dream worth believing,

and a sunny mission worth our keeping.