beach life childhood
it wasn’t the salt and sand
drying on our skin
a shimmering crust like a
sugar dusting on desserts
it wasn’t finding sea beans
and catching fish with our hands
and writing dreams on the sandy shore
with the pointiest pieces of driftwood
it wasn’t riding our bikes in
knee-deep waves to the pier
(every day in the summer)
to buy a coke and a candy bar
it wasn’t even the innocent abandon
our parents felt when we moved
away from suburbia to the beach
the way they blossomed and became
themselves as they were meant to be
it wasn’t their absolute joy
in using the seine net to catch redfish
and speckled trout, and the crab trap
to bring in blue crabs for dinner
the best of it
was simply the sense of place
the aliveness of it all
the surf the smiles the selves
the humanity unburdened by city life
the best of it
was simply that the only things
that mattered were the things
that actually mattered
the people the pets the ideals
the aliveness of it all
the surf the smiles the selves
the humanity unburdened by city life
i’ll always remember my days by the water
it wasn’t hampered by irrelevance
it wasn’t keeping up with the Joneses
it wasn’t limiting in any way
i’ll always remember my days by the water
a childhood so perfect
it almost hurts to remember
the best of it
was simply that the only things
that mattered were the things
that actually mattered
This poem is in response to the prompt about the use of negation in poetry from the dVerse Poets Pub today. It’s a new form for me and I learned that negation in poetry highlights what something is by saying what it isn’t.
My childhood at the beach is a constant muse for poetry and a guide for how to live, an everlasting gift from my parents, who chose to leave suburbia for a life on the coast that would their children to be children and their lives to authentic and grounded in nature. The post below is another such poem, which I referenced in these lines,
“i’ll always remember my days by the water
a childhood so perfect
it almost hurts to remember”
Thank you for reading.
© 2025, Glover Gardens
wow .what wonderful memories
Thank you, Rog. I feel so incredibly blessed by that part of my journey.
A journey to nostalgia beautifully done. You evoked the strong memories so nicely.
Thank you so much. It just flowed out of me.
Thanks Kim, it brought back wonderful memories of our visits over the years.
Love , Uncle Ken
Awww, I’m so glad to hear that! Hugs to “all y’all”.
it reads like nostalgia in every grain of sand – sigh!
In every grain… you’re right, Laura. I’m glad that came through for you.
Nicely done. “It almost hurts to remember” is a very familiar feeling.
It is, isn’t it. The very nature of bittersweet.
It is at the heart of being human once you are old enough to grasp mortality…
What a wonderful poem, I can really feel the passion burning in your writing, and the negations really strengthen the feeling it was something so much more that the simple sea metaphors.
Thank you, Bjorn. You have captured how I felt. Some poems are a struggle; this one wrote itself.
I absolutely love what you wrote—it truly resonates with me. In so many ways, it captures a life I once lived, cherished, and, over time, drifted away from. The pictures bring back a flood of memories, each one so vivid. I treasure seeing your family—my uncle, aunt, and cousins—but there’s an added layer of joy in revisiting the scenery that shaped so much of my life.
I see the May-Breeze house, the double road leading to our house behind your parents’, the bulkhead in the canal, and the white house on the beach behind you and Steve. And then there are the oleander bushes in your yard and that thick, lush green grass I played on countless times. These memories feel like a warm embrace from the past, and I’m so grateful to be reminded of them. Thank you for sharing this piece of home.
Your response took me back, made me cry, and lifted my heart. It is poetry in itself. The memories are definitely a warm embrace from the past, and maybe, just maybe, we haven’t completely drifted away from it if we remember and revisit it together.
Very nice. I too spent a good bit of my childhood, by the Sea. On the coast of West Africa, our house was… 10 yeards away from the water…
It gets into your soul, doesn’t it? I’m sure your memories have inspired a poem or two, as well.
It does.
Not poems. I totally suck at poetry. But stories yes… In fact I have posted one called The high tide of the Equinox. I can send you the link if you like.
Yes! Feel free to share it here.
There you are:
https://equinoxio21.wordpress.com/2021/03/23/the-high-tide-of-the-equinox/
Thank you for sharing that! I read the story and loved it. It captures the power and capriciousness of the wind and the sea beautifully. So glad we connected!
Ditto. 🙏🏻
I will simply say to you: your poem will remain in my heart/mind for quite some time. It is exceptional and I thank you for sharing priceless memories.
Your words are a gift to me, Helen. Thank you.
Wow…..what a wonderfully written remembrance, the imagery is amazing. Beautifully done, great job sweetie!!
❤️ I love your validation and your continued interest in those days by the water! And that we’re making our own new days by the water. ❤️
What a lovely flow of appreciation and nostalgia. The negation worked so well in emphasizing what mattered. At the same time, I was captivated by all of your seaside memories.
Thank you so much, Mish. I’m so happy that it resonated with you.
Love your detailed remembrance of growing up where love and life and knowing where you are, are what mattered most. The photos too were precious. You are indeed lucky to have that perfect childhood.
Thank you, Grace. I appreciate you.
I love this poem, Kim. I have similar thoughts about my own childhood, parts of which were also in an ocean side town.
It gets under your skin and stays there, doesn’t it?
Yes, indeed
One of my fondest and most enduring memories is of a few days I spent with my parents in a rented lakeside cottage at a place called Cass Lake one summer when I was 12. I was so happy there. Your poem brought it back to me once again.
Shay/Fireblossom
That is a huge win for me! Thank you for letting me know that my humble words connected you with an important and lovely time in your life. That’s the ROI of poetry, the connections. ❤️
And, if you have written about that time, or if you do in the future, please feel free to leave a link here!
So kind of you to ask. Here it is. I didn’t realize at the time that it was to be the last family vacation; all of that played out later. In the moment, I was completely happy during that time. I found and read a paperback I found there and loved it, I loved the paddleboat, and I loved the games we played in the evening and my hobby I worked on there as well. My father was a newspaperman and when the riot broke out, he had to return home to go to work, but the days we had there were wonderful to me. It was only in view of subsequent events that it all became a little bit bittersweet.
https://fireblossom-wordgarden.blogspot.com/2021/06/michigan-vacation-1967.html
I loved reading this. Thank you for sharing it here.
What a beautiful poem of remembrance and gratitude! Wonderful imagery and I love
“the best of it
was simply that the only things
that mattered were the things
that actually mattered”. So true. ❤️
Thank you so much, Punam!
“the best of it
was simply the sense of place
the aliveness of it all
the surf the smiles the selves
the humanity unburdened by city life”
Gorgeous poem, Kim!
Thank you, I really appreciate the validation!
What a brilliant and beautiful poem, Kim. So lovely. 🌸 I wish I’d had time to write to this negation prompt. Your poem is inspirational.
Thak you so much, Lesley. If you write one later, please come back and share it here.
🙏🌸
I agree with the others, this is sheer poetic brilliance! 😍😍
What a lovely compliment – thank you!
I love this. There’s definitely something magical about being by the coast and I think living close to the coast must be such a wonderful thing.
I love the old photos too!
Yes. The coast is soul-soothing. Thank you for the affirmation about the post!