Down the Shore

I spent many of my pre-teen & teen summer vacations "down the shore:", in the little town of Lavallette, NJ. Today Lavallette, like so many other places along the Northeast Atlantic coast,  lies devastated by hurricane Sandy.

This poem helps me think back to some of my earlier years and the wonderful memories of those halcyon days. I spent many, many hours at the Cozy Nooke. You see they had a pinball machine there!

"LAVALLETTE"
by Arthur J. Maglionico

I remember as a child the beaches soft, the ocean wild,
Friends who shared a dream back then, per chance that we would meet again.
I recall each suntanned face, each pretty girl, each hiding place,
The new Hellos, the sad Goodbyes,
The soft wind, and the starlit skies.
The families huddled in the sand, their hearts were warm, their spirit grand,
Stretching out beneath the sun, barefoot and with hair undone.
I can hear the ocean roar as waves caress the sunny shore,
With fishermen waiting patiently for a gift surrendered by the sea.
I remember distant sails, skimming over the salty trails,
I'd watch them slowly disappear, toward the open sea somewhere.
The Main Street always thrilled me so, with its Cozy Nooke and Movie Show,
And folks would drive from all around to gaze at this enchanted town.
Nowhere can there ever be a place like this one by the sea.
I'm much older now, and yet, my dreams are there Dear Lavallette.
May God's grace ever shine on you,
May your skies be clear and ocean blue,
Let it remain as soft and mild as I remember as a child.