THE GRACEFULNESS IN LIFE

THE GRACEFULNESS IN LIFE

(what Millie, age 69, said at Rocky Neck Beach)

 

"Leading Edge", oil on panel,
by Robin Cheers

I lost a loved one years ago,

but this beach will be with me forever.

I live in a small house now,

but this sandy shore is my home,

this holy place of pretty birds

and waves that wash ashore

with so much style. My son died

of alcohol poisoning at seventeen,

but sometimes I still see Stevie

sliding toward me on the surf.

He bought a surfboard at fifteen,

and flowed with the waves

as gracefully as anyone ever has.

Now, I come to this beautiful beach

to live my elderly life

with the smoothness of Stevie’s surfing,

to see the gracefulness in life

that doesn’t need beer to be seen.