The Palms

The Palms
June 17-June 24, 2000
Okaloosa Island, Florida

The Palms, 503
An emerald beach laced
with a sea grass necklace
Balcony memories of an oceanic escape

Little girls’ smiles
A midnight walk on the beach
Lucky lotto tickets and matching coconut anklets
A growing goatee and
infatuation with a man named Austin Powers

Golden sunshine waving in the air
gives cautionary permission to saddle
the boogie board and tame the waves
as Amy reads.
Crimson flag
Hammerheads on their march
There! We see them!
Dorsal fins spotted, but merely belonging to a family of friendly porpoises
as Amy reads.
Blue flag, calm beach
We freely swim, surf,
and Amy reads.

Steady stream of mid-day sandwiches. No more!
A white Jeep carries all to
fine dining.
A lighthouse with no cheese.
Harry T and Giggles crown Ashlyn as
we make our way to the Back Porch, and
pricy oysters and crab legs make their dent.
Twenty-two dollar buffet at Captain Kidds leads to a Lucky Snapper Escape. No Hooters allowed.
A drive-thru run to Krispy Kreme
Fifteen doughnuts,
two left behind, but soon heroicly rescued.

Flesh browning, burning.
Peeling skin.
Give me sunscreen or give me death!
Men in Speedos. EEK!
Amy and Melissa find paradise in floating mattresses of air.
Ashlyn, enemy of the sea
“People pee in it!”
but Kaitlyn embraces the waves without hesitation.
The small pool welcomes both girls and splashes them with hugs.
Yea, Baby!

The men and their hit-and-run golf clubs
find a serene Shalimar
and a perched sun-bathing flamingo. Oh, Behave!
The others innocently perfect their tans, harming nothing but their indelible skin.

Digging. Digging. Digging.
Digging a hole and
Michael, the Crocodile Hunter, dives for hidden treasures.
Large speckled shells
Hermit crabs and sea slugs imprisoned in a dungeon, a plastic pink sand castle.
Mommy and Daddy netting friendly fish
and the Girls setting them free
Twilight baseball on the beach
Good catch, Kaitlyn!
Dark skies close the curtain.

A perfect vacation
with Loved Ones.
Wonderful seaside memories never to be forgotten.

Melissa Shields, 2000