Summer Poetry Art Book // Sample Chapter

Summer Poetry Art Book by Ashlee Craft - Cover

On the Beach - from Summer Poetry Art Book by Ashlee Craft

On the Beach

emerging from the car arms filled with floats towels toys & sunscreen / rushing across the sandy pavement & towards the sturdy wooden boardwalk where a blue tongued lizard suns itself on the railing / the sound of laughing & yelling blowing with the warm humid summer air & the smell of salt thick in the air & the sounds of the waves crashing in the near distance & the warm sun beating down upon your skin & reminding everyone of their childhood

the ocean approaches & you can see the shapes of surfers & boaters & swimmers rushing across the waters & the beauty of the crystal clear blue waters reflecting the brilliant hues of the cloudless sky / a lifeguard sits in a tower keeping a careful watchful eye upon everyone & takes a sip of water from a blue canteen that hangs on the chair

you take off your shoes & you feet sink down slightly into the warm sacred sand & you feel it creeping between your toes & warming your feet / the soft warm roughness of the sand caressing you as you walk across the hills & mounds & mountains of sand towards the water / you can hardly contain your excitement to get to the water so you rush ahead, your arms pinning your towel & pail to your sides

as you dance in the sand you hear the white-capped waves gently washing against the shore & suddenly you look down & see the perfect place to sit

“over here!” you yell as your family follow behind you, so much slower to get here than you / they smile at you & you grin back, but you’re suddenly distracted by the shape of a purple shell at your feet

“I found one!” you shout as they reach you / immediately you sit down in the warm sun & begin / you smell the warm scent of the sunscreen you applied earlier & it smells like coconuts / you begin digging a small hole in the sand with your hands & you plan on making this hole into a pool which you’ll fill with water later / finally your family sits down & you grab out your pail & begin piling wet sand from by the ocean’s edge into the pail & then dumping over the bucket & decorating the castle with shells / carving out the doors & windows then pretending your hand is a person & the castle is their home

finally it’s time to go swimming so you take your clothes off revealing your bathing suit beneath & you slather sunscreen on & you rush towards the water, yelling & waving your arms / in pure utter joy / splashing into the cool salty waves that rush & gush rush rush gushing around your toes wiggling in the sand / you see a seashell underwater & you bend down to pick it up / a wave washes over your head soaking your face as you do / sputtering & shaking the salt water from your face / but you continue out a little ways into the water so that it’s touching your chest / you stand here splashing & walking along in the ocean & putting your face in the water looking thru goggles at the sea floor pretending you’re a submarine captain & then a famous diver hunting for pearls on the sea floor / the sun is hot above you but the water is so peaceful & calm & cool, gently carrying you with it & you smile as the sun glints off the water / your arms & legs & fingers & toes enjoying the salty coolness of the water & the sand beneath your feet where you feel broken bits of shells & the ancient sand

finally it’s time for lunch & you emerge from the water, happy & your skin’s all wrinkly from the water but the sun feels so nice as you emerge dripping wet your feet now covered with dry dusty sand / you approach the checkered picnic blanket & plop down, cleaning the sand & salt from your hands before grabbing a cheese sandwich from the woven basket & biting into the soft bread / you eat your sandwich & when you’re done you go over to the sand & build a whole sand castle village / suddenly you remember the pit you were digging earlier & you dig it a little deeper then fill your bucket up with water & make a bunch of trips to the water back to your hole trying to fill it up with water / but the water just soaks in / how about building it closer to the water someone suggests / so you head near the water & dig another pit, sand getting caught beneath your nails as you dig dig dig / sun warming your back skin glowing in the light / suddenly a bit of water comes thru the bottom of your pit & begins filling it a little / you sit in this miniature pool smiling feeling the warm water collecting around you / just then a huge cool wave washes over the shore, filling your hole & washing the sand from your legs / you laugh & dig your hole a little bigger then sit back & relax in the little pool you’ve made, making a sand castle alongside of it & trying to build a barrier wall to keep the waves from getting in / perfect happiness

eventually it becomes time to go home / everyone reluctantly gathering up their belongings & buckets & towels & baskets & heading towards the car / your tanned skin glows warmly in the sun as you walk across the boardwalk / you reach the parking lot, putting your flip flops back on / you spread a towel on the back seat of the car & sit down in your seat, feeling the quiet peaceful happiness that only enters one’s soul after a day on the beach

Under the Stars - from Summer Poetry Art Book by Ashlee Craft

Under the Stars

underneath the stars lying on our backs on a blanket laid out in the
damp grass gazing up at the sky & the moon
& stars twinkling gently in the still beauty
& peace of the night
& everything is absolutely perfect as we make up stories about the stars & what they mean & how they came to take their places in the sky

underneath the stars enjoying the beauty of the moment
as the crickets & frogs chirp & sing in the background
& the warm beautiful humid sacred air around us
& comforting cloak of the darkness
& us sharing our secrets & our hopes & fears & dreams & talking about our lives & moving onwards & what we plan to do tomorrow & the next day & next year

underneath the stars soaking in what it means to be alive
grinning & then sitting in silence & speaking without works
& the stars keep watch over us thru the darkness
& the sun is only waiting a little while away
& looking at all of you who mean so much to me
I know that I could never find a more perfect place to be & I know I could never find nicer friends or a more perfect place than this clearing under the stars

Kindle Edition
Paperback