(A present for my mum, Mothers Day 2010)
We go wandering, Helen and I
From the beach hut, towards the sea
White clouds drift in a bright blue sky
Over the dunes, so full of debris
Childhood treasures, shells and thread
I’m not sure which way we’ve come
Marram grass waves above my head...
Of course we’re safe – look, there’s Mum!
Out on the wet wave-wrinkled sand
Shimmering castles hang in the air
Remote hut tiny, on dry land
Head down, digging, building dreams with care.
Water rises, fills the moat bed
Time and tide run fast here – has it come?
Siege defeated, quickly fled
Of course we’re safe – look, there’s Mum!
In a hole in the ground there lives – who knows?
Under the grass roots, under the sand
If we dig deeper we’ll find where it goes
Maybe the door into faeryland?
The faeries trap you... the sand starts to slip
Need to get out, wriggle on tum.
Caught my shirt, but only a rip.
Of course we’re safe now! Look, there’s Mum.
Lightning crashes overhead
Frail wooden roof becomes rain’s drum
Snug in the beach-hut, hugging Ted
Of course we’re safe here: we’re with Mum!
(That was originally intended to be a thing called a Ballade until I looked at the terrible forced things 14 B-rhymes were doing to it, and decided that life was too short.)