Beauty On The Beach Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

Strong and lithe the well tanned bodies
Frolic in their shiny wear
Curves revealed and others hidden
Oiled and pampered with much care.

Azure seas, and white foam frothing
Orange sails fly out of reach
Laughing, splashing, oh so merry
Bathing beauties on the beach.

But a little yonder southward
There’s a sparser stretch of sand.
Older sister or young mother
Holds a thin girl by the hand,

Sitting in an iron wheelchair
Pulled up closer to the sea.
Darker, older is her swimsuit
And her body pale to see.

Gently smiling at the stranger
Shy eyes, passive, look at me.
I can hardly bear the moment
And hold back a tear or two.

Yellows, purples, golden bodies
Try, but cannot ever reach
Beauty sitting in that wheelchair,
Bathing beauty on the beach.