A January Visit

My East coast cousin and her daughter
Has paid us a West Coast visit. We are
Fond of them and would see them more
Often were the distance shorter or travel
Less complex.

She left the husband and sons to
Fend for themselves as she and she
Luxuriated in California’s not winter
Unlike the  mid-Atlantic seaboard
Frost and ice.

Hotel travel with smaller ones in tow demand
A certain adventurousness that, in other
Contexts, might be considered
A violation of some necessary but never-
Considered convention. 

Thus my cousin, seeking the advantage
Of what was to me a cold day but to
Her excellent weather, given the season,
Determined to picnic with her daughter
On the beach in early January.

Proper picnicking gear and victuals
Are hard to come by in short order,
For as they drove, the beach was there,
The destination beckoned, the moment arrived,
The makeshift snack stand at hand. 

Voila, a picnic arranged and proclaimed
On a blustery so cal day at the beach:
A couple of hard boiled eggs, followed
By an ice cream treat. 
A grand way for mother and daughter
To enjoy a winter day away 
Watching waves break
In the Santa Monica bay. 

NB: a lighter note to start a new year. may this new year come to be infused with a long missing gentleness…..