to the seaside

to the seaside
to the seaside
to the change and peace of mind
to the easy la-
zy holiday
the leave-it-all-behind

to the seaside
to the sunshine
to the body-littered sands
to the deckchairs
and the funfairs
and the burst-your-ears brass bands

to the ice-cream
to the wasp-stings
to the sand-in-every-meal
to the castles
and the donkeys
and the plates of jellied eel

to the bosoms
and the bottoms
to the bodies-in-the-raw
to the he-men
and the paunches
to the what-the-butler-saw

(to the catch-my-eye
the hold-me-tight
the kiss-me-in-the-park
to the will-you
wont-you-let-me
to the bathing-in-the-dark)

to the landladies
and gloomy rooms
and out-of-here-by-ten
to the drizzle
and the boredom
and the going-round-the-bend

to the blisters
and the crying kids
the peeling aching backs
to the god-i-wish-
we'd-never-come-
i-wish-we'd-gone-to-jack's

to the getting-on
the train again
the joy of going home
to the roses
in the garden
and the being-left-alone

to the no-food-
in-the-larder
and the not-an-open-shop
to the ashes
in the fireplace
and the week-old washing up