You See Him Coming

wayoff along the beach barefoot weighed down with his wares towels-and-scarves in brightcolours or wooden beaded necklaces or strips-of-coconut in iced water anything he thinks might tempt you but his call across the sand is indistinct

and easy to ignore so you disappear into your book reapply suncream build a sandcastle with the kids topped with shells and washedround by a moat which you try to fill with sea which soaksawayfaster than you can run the next bucketful

so you flip for a swim splashing eachother lyingback on a waterbed of salt or if the surf’s-up try to catch waves as they canter to the shore riding euphoria though sometimes they throw you break over-your-head leave you spluttering for air crawling to land

where as you dryout he materalises quiteclose and you think if you shut your eyes and pretend-to-be-asleep he’ll pass-on-by but then he’s right next to you with his sandy feet and his bundle because you’d almost forgotten he comes for everyone