Beach Days

There wasn’t any referee
to show a yellow card
when I tripped my cousin
close to the shore.

Matches were interrupted
by various events:
an angry lady,
a policeman on sight.

Beer cans for adults,
soda for children.
Garlic crisps,
and crab claws.

So were the days then.
The mood as radiant as the sky.
Our sandy blessing.

Jorge Leiva lives in Galway and is originally from South Spain. Some of his work has appeared in Skylight 47, The Galway Advertiser, Drawn to the light, Headstuff, and Pendemic.ie. In 2019, he was long-listed in the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition.