A day of familiy visiting started with all too familiar (though luckily not constant bickering). But a beatiful place can open your eyes to all kinds of things. And children are often much better teachers than their supposed elders.

Sheltered Bay

Dissonance in small measure
Wakes up to possibilities,
A nudge toward what's next.
Grinding on, it takes a toll.
For years, or so it seemed,
My children heard each other
On some negative frequency
(Had I tuned the dial?)
And responded with discord.
Even at a distance I heard it
As it cramped our hearts.
Then a new generation,
Their hands innocently in ours,
Walked along the sand,
And splashing in the placid bay
Taught us with uncomplicated joy
The emptiness of imagined victories.