Coney Island Redux

sun-drenched
summer
            Sundays
the hot             sand
a teaming patchwork
of multicolored blankets
surrounded by a glorious symphony
of blaring rock stations . . .
barking vendors . . .
screaming rollercoasters . . .
all        music to my ears
how could I ever forget
this
onetime magical
open-air Shangri-la
the cool
Brooklyn
breeze
stirring
lovers
happy
young
we were
our bodies entwined
under a rented umbrella
alive and in sync
with the hypnotic cadence of breaking waves
kissing
the
shore
Mwah! . . . Mwah! . . . Mwah!

John Califano