Land Shark

A family of four metal detectors, hopeful as seagulls scratching in the sand
Abandoned castles with crumbling towers
Determined joggers
Awkward dads, Mom's sleeping in
Big yellow machines chewing the sand for trash
Bewildered guys working off low-level jail time by patrolling for cigarette butts and     broken glass
Sleek wetsuited swimmers counting heroic laps past the buoys
Screaming karate kids racing the tide, white gis wet past their knees
Insulated cups and black plastic lids, crumpled water bottles,  thermal mugs in neon colors
Kids dragging seaweed sticks to draw in the sand
An extremely tall man strides at the water line, carrying a tiny pointy dog in a mesh basket
Families posing for pictures, backs to the ocean, faces dark and anonymous against the sun
A seal surfaces to watch us watch him



All of this before breakfast. By the time we come back around, the shark has been pulverized, but someone has brought shovels to begin again.