Haiku on the Beach

Last month, I posted some Facebook photos of a day at the Oregon coast. When my mother saw them, she wrote a series of Haiku poems to complement the pictures. Here is the complete set:

overcast morning
and wet sand – good walk
to reflect on


three graduate students
have refined skills to build
sand castles


fish ‘n’ chips
and clam chowder on the deck
beach fare


petunias
and umbrella – mom and daughters’ smiles
beach color


craggy rocks
topped with crowds of murres
habitat haven


in afternoon sun
dune shadows on silver sand
cast moving patterns


these days a hand
from granddaughter makes dune climbing
fun again


sail boat reflection
wavers on water – no barrier
to swimming sea gull


railroad trestles
historic reminders of trains carried
a century ago


this bridge spans miles
and connects three generations
with fond memories

When I was small, we spent several summers in Newport. My dad was a marine biologist, and I grew up visiting tide pools. My mom has always claimed I knew a sea anemone from a sea urchin before I knew a horse from a cow. And no matter how hard my parents tried to distract me, I always noticed the Newport Bridge. Whatever I was doing, I’d stop and burst into song: “London Bridge is falling down….”

So, yes, the bridge unites three generations – even though my daughters never met their grandfather.

(Haiku by Betty McCauley; photos by Jane Thomas)