it has never happened before
but it did this time
i entered a contest
and won a round trip airplane ticket
and one week free stay at a hotel
at sieska key beach, florida
years ago i came to
the beaches at
clearwater, tampa,
orlando and panama city,
florida . . .
i became a beach bum
and
loved
it
i wrote poetry
and short stories
and started a novel
back then I was in my
late teens
i thought this life would be
would last forever
with seagulls flying over
and white sand to sleep on
it did not last
i moved in the midwest
to work and pay bills
the best way i could
working on an assembly line
and later
selling things
for different companies
it has been many years
since I
first visited the beaches
now i am at
sieska key beach
only
because i entered
a contest and won
i can’t afford to stay
or to come back later
the sand is pure white
and the people are friendly
i may not
go
back home