Ocean City

Low blood pressure
and or
not necessarily true temperatures
(thanks ocean breeze)
squeezing my head
or maybe it’s the preadolescent vibration accompanying me today

Down the shore
my turn to parent while others work
it takes a village
don’t be fooled
we are all trying to find a way out

one is by land
because he’s too cool to swim
two are by the sea
wrapped in kelp
and subconscious sparring for little girls
they don’t even know they’re preening for

I am on the very corner
of blanket enforced space
I made them help me construct
because it’s Tuesday in August
and everyone came to this beach today

Single woman with precious toddler
at 12 o’clock
keeps getting hit on by a goombah
with his single dad swagger
she’d ignore him completely
but he’s got a nice summer body you know

Mom with twin boy toddlers
just flitted past in the sand
They’re twins because she made them wear the same thing
Talk about self-sabotage

Seagulls and sweaty bodies chatter
everyone’s talking
food and travel
the boardwalk later
how’s the water?

The single mom just dipped
her daughters feet
in a pink bucket
and put on her little tiny water shoes because we must be as clean as possible
on a place the ocean leaves it’s trash

The older boy has returned
with shore booty
a T-shirt and a selfie stick
one must conform
technologically
In order to distract from missed social cues
And raging acne

To note: A car full of boys
and men’s cologne smell
makes a woman like me
want to run screaming in all directions
It’s like an alcoholic sitting in a distillery
They too will age
Become prey for someone like me
Prey on others like me
Hopefully not
Hopefully at least one
because I raise him not to be

More families come
in this 1 o’clock hour
little babies
more villages
more tribes
I can no longer see the beach or surf
for the umbrellas and flesh
Tightly polkadotting the waterline

I wonder if the boys of this summer day
have disappeared
into the swell of humanity
Maybe I’ll close my eyes
And pretend I’m here alone
Until it’s time again
To be villager