Road Trip 2021, Day Seventeen (Black Sails)

brown babe gull, black sails,
our last New England beach day
before the road home

Road Trip 2021, Day Sixteen (Boston)

the Constitution 
(a ship in Boston Harbor)
has won my man’s heart

a tavern lunch date
for our last family road trip
with all of our girls

all grown up, my girls
(they’ve been everywhere with us)
and soon they will fly

a windy beach day
followed by farmers’ market
for tonight’s dinner

this “bike path” presents:
sea-level cycling; beach
(rode on Rhode Island)

there’s seafood here, too.
and family filled with smiles
and gardening goals

they all want to know
(yet no one really wants to)
how much it hurts. Hurts.

it’s in a painting
the storm-washed sea, blue background 
the broken cable

it’s in this beach day 
(today’s my uncle’s birthday)
and we can’t go back

here we are, singing 
because it’s all we can do
after the long drive

three states, three hours,
a short capital lunch break
before breaking waves

flowing stream, sun bath
is my picture-perfect beach
(dogs and drinks allowed)

more importantly:
teens jumping off the big rock
back to childhood

carrying kayaks
down for a pup-and-paddle
oh the lake, the lake

a day on the lake
clear, glistening perfection
formed by hills, glaciers

with a loving pup
and our nearly-grown daughters
the day is a gift

cycle to the wine
a trail along Keuka Lake
and these sweet smiles