Beach Menagerie

At daybreak, I approach the beach across a soft hill of clover, past sleeping Pandanus palms, and down a small sand dune. I am enveloped by sea wind. I look up to a flight of swallows - symbol of returning. They occupy the airspace of seagulls. A kookaburra laughs, somewhere to land-ward, bringing fond memories of far off bushland. A Malamute passes beside me, pulling a woman on a long leash. If she had a small sled she could mush along this perfect white beach. Tall lady pines grace the shoreline their skirts just out of reach of sea water. Seagulls sit in small conventions pecking free donuts. They queue up for cups of coffee; I imagine their grey wings tucked through Aloha shirts. A German shepherd lopes, wolf-like, scatters them, they swoop out to sea, laughing. They'll be telling the folks back home of their close call. Now the sun's rays have reached the high rises, awakening diamond fires from glass windows. On the horizon, sunbeams reach down in straight lines like sun-pictures from a child's storybook. My imagination runs wild but my walk has ended, as I climb the wooden ramp - back to the street, alive for what my day holds.