visiting tourist spots in early May

in August, this beach will scorch you:

piercing sand, glaring sun, sweat

trickling down tourists’ backs

as they bathe at Brackley Beach.

it is too busy, too hot, too much.

but in early May, the sand becomes

ballet slippers on bare feet, the incoming

tide a melody inviting you to dance.

fog drifts down, a curtain closing,

with only you, the sand, and the waves

witness to this private showing.

you dance, you starfish on sand,

you pray – all while the wind numbs

your toes and sends god’s words

into your ears. it’s almost holy,

being here before the tourists arrive.