We wanted to go to the beach–
it’s within reach–
New York coastline–
capacious, fine.
We were young; we stayed up all night–
before the light,
starting to drive–
happy, alive.
The sun rose, the ocean was near–
we parked the car–
the sky was blue,
the people few.
Undaunted by sunburn, we slept–
our bodies wet,
salty from waves–
those were the days.
The W3 prompt poem this week is Britta Benson’s “Longing for Water”. She asked that our response include the name of a city and asked us to use a form appropriate for that city. I wrote a Minute Poem, in reflection of “a New York minute”, which is a very brief span of time. Looking back at my 20s it truly was all over in a New York minute. Lacking technology, we never took photos or tried to document our lives then. We just lived them.
Although I always collected shells.
K. 
Like the poem, the flow, the brevity, and it’s so true, that our 20s were spent just living the independence, not recording our meals in images for posterity.
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I definitely like things about the internet, but we need to move back and find a balance. There’s a lot to be said for not always being “connected” and readily available.
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Maybe the problem is that we’re finding it more and more difficult to find a reason for wanting to disconnect, to distinguish real life from virtual.
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People expect us to be always available now. We should disappear more often.
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It’s a big problem for people who work from home, even partially. Always on call.
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I know–I’m so glad my working years escaped that. My oldest always has to be checking her work phone. The younger one deliberately took a job without that feature. Less money, more time.
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The cult of Big Brother. It’s in everything.
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Unfortunately.
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Feeling overwhelmed by perpetual connection at the moment, this is a hugely restful post… When I’m able to travel again I intend to bring home more sketches and writings and not even bother with photos. I know I’d benefit more from the experience both in the moment and after, and a journal doesn’t require being charged constantly!
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It’s only recently I started remembering to take my phone with me–really the last 5 years. We need to stop expecting everyone to be always available, and let go of this need to document every moment of our lives…of course easier said than done at this point. But we’ve lost the moment.
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Hi Kerfe, this reminds me of my matric holiday at the beach. I was 17. Now, I am allergic to the salt in the ocean and have to take cortisone when I visit the beach. That is why we don’t go very often.
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I’m sorry to hear that Robbie, but I’m glad you, too, have good memories of those days.
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Those were indeed the days! Beautiful, Kerfe.
We lived those moments and were not busy capturing them to display on social media.
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They were. Thanks Punam. Different times.
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You are welcome.
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A lovely nostalgic reminiscence. I don’t miss my twenties too much. But most people seem to enjoy them!
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Thanks Ingrid. Every decade has its ups and downs. I like to hold on to the good memories.
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Beautifully done–the flow and reminiscing. There is a problem with always being connected–though there are times I do wish I had some photos from those times.
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Thanks Merril. I agree. I would love to have photos of many of those friends, who exist now only as memories.
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Yes. 💙
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Kerfe – this is so full of joy and wistfulness – I just adore it!
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Thanks David.
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I especially love the seashell drawing.
I can relate to the desire to be connected to nature and to the hours of the day I’m living, or connected to the breeze, or to the sounds of the resident birds, even connected to the line coming out of the end of a crayon.
I’ll be the first to praise computers, miracle devices, but all these other things are better!
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Your poem reminds me of the feeling I had reading Anne Morrow Lindberg’s book “Gift from the Sea” ages ago. I need to reread it.
Hadn’t thought about the book in a long time & then the memory of it comes rushing back.
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Funny how those associations work. I’ve never read that book, although there may be a copy among the boxes of books in storage.
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Hi, Kerfe!
I just want to let you know that this week’s W3 poetry prompt, hosted by Punam Sharma, is now live:
https://skepticskaddish.com/2022/08/17/w3-prompt-16-weave-written-weekly/
Enjoy 😀
~David
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I love your nostalgic write!
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Thanks Dwight.
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You are welcome!
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