Friday, March 15, 2013

Plum Island


http://bostonherald.com/sites/default/files/media/2013/02/08/020813nemopw006.jpg


Summers on Plum Island; I was young - without a care.
Just went back to see the place; it almost wasn't there.
Back, when I was just a girl, we'd hit the beach at dawn...
That was 30 years ago and now that beach is gone.

I grew up on 53rd; our house was on the beach.
When we ran, we kids were out of breath before we'd reach
Sand that would be cool enough to soothe our burning feet;
Plunging into freezing water...  More akin to sleet.

Now our house is on a cliff; our neighbor's in the sea.
Storms have made my childhood beach a fading memory.
As Plum Island drifts away and more homes hit the drink
Residents want action, but it's harder than you'd think.

Places like Plum Island (they're called Barriers) are sand.
Back when people bought their homes they didn't understand
That they couldn't stop the sea from moving sand around,
And their lovely summer homes were built on shifting ground.

Only thing that holds the place together is the grass
So, like everything in life, the island, too, shall pass.
Ocean level's rising and, with storms a certainty,
There is not a lot that can be done to stop the sea.

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