The water’s edge just out of reach
Past sandcastles that have been made
With plastic bucket and a spade.
Ice cream is wiped from toddlers’ lips
A seagull swoops to steal some chips
Deckchairs ripple in the breeze
I see ‘kiss me quick’ hats and knobbly knees.
If you stop and wait awhile
A man’s pursued by crocodile
(He does escape if you don’t know
It’s just the Punch and Judy show).
The pier is where I turn around
Up above me is the sound
Of arcade games and fairground rides
The helter-skelter and the slides.
Anglers perch in dribs and drabs
Hoping to land fish or crabs,
A crowd of people stand agog
And watch a frisbee-catching dog.
I love the sand and how it moves
How it feels beneath my hooves
For I’m the donkey that was missed
Off this seaside cliché list.
