The Beach in Autumn The beach in autumn Has space between the clumps Of bags and scattered towels, An ambient warmth and coolness Below the sand. The umbrellas and well-oiled flesh Are gone, along with surf boats And Ray Bans, Though some still moon their Arses to the breeze in light softer By degrees. A low sun above tide line kelp Makes the ocean more opaque And Winter seems already here As dimmer hues hug the cape And milky light falls along the strand. But wait … Slow arms slap beyond the waves, Kids dig and squeal along the shore,…