1. Belafonte
Can you build me a banana boat?
With a big saddle seat,
And a peel that really peels?
Watch out for black tarantulas!
2. B-52s
How about a lobster?
Made all of rocks.
Down, down…
Don’t get pinched!
3. Pat Dailey
Make me a mermaid,
Who’ll swim me to Ontario.
We’ll leap like moonstruck perch,
And sing serenades to sunken ships.
4. Beach Boys
Could you construct a girl
Formed only of sand?
All mine,
Until the next wave breaks?
Dan Morey is a freelance writer in Pennsylvania. He’s worked as a book critic, nightlife columnist, travel correspondent and outdoor journalist. His writing has appeared in Hobart, Cleaver Magazine, McSweeney’s Quarterly and others. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2017. Find him at danmorey.weebly.com.
Photographer’s Note: My strongest visual of this poem waited until the last line – “Until the next wave breaks.” I can hear the poet’s beach mix, each song competing with the sound of crashing waves. While my interpretation is not deep, in my mind, I am there listening to those tunes and cleansing my soul.