Jack's Beach (Poetry)

Sand spreads like melted butter in the heat,
two women paddle, cool their shoeless feet
and look to where the sky and ocean meet.

Cream parasols deflect the glaring sun,
air shimmers, making colours seem to run -
primrose, gold and ochre blend to one

long summer seascape, sweeping into view,
the distant water calm, its muted blue
a counterpoint to yellow's vibrant hue.

The women hitch their skirts above their knees,
like figures from some ancient Roman frieze,
athletic-limbed, Hellenic, bared to tease

their male companion, modestly attired -
straw hat and braces - Latin style inspired
by classic movies, dated but admired.

The scene lifts off the canvas, tells the eye
beyond the frame there's more than beach and sky -
the paint goes on, its colours not quite dry.