Long car ride crushed in the back middle seat
Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds playing on the radio
Sea air letting us know we were getting closer
Sand slowly replacing the grass along the highway
The excitement of reaching dangerous Suicide Alley
And turning up Sloop John B when it finally comes on
I remember it all so clearly as if this morning
A happy family on their yearly odyssey to the beach
Growing boys unknowing the trials that lay ahead
That these innocent times could never truly last
Take me to Nauset, my favorite lighthouse
And live through paintings that will never be added to
As each summer slowly trickles the souls in the car
Dwindling and diminishing to an inevitable end
And then renewed as a new core grows
As I introduce new lives to the majestic Highland
And round the large hook passed by Pilgrims
Brave the breaks, cracks, and scars of a full life
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off one more time
Make the trek you know like the back of your hand
One less in the car, one more to come someday

whenever I return
to the Cape, and am
kissed by the salty breeze
I realize that I left
a piece of myself
on the rocky beach

the Cape belongs to
the young girl who
wouldn't have her
freckles if it wasn't for
the August sun

the girl who pretended
to be a mermaid trapped
in the pool, trying to find her
way home, to the ocean

the Cape belongs to
the young woman who
wasn't comfortable in
her own skin, and
covered up

the woman who learned
that dusk was her favorite
time to visit the beach,
with ice cream in her hand
and her toes in the sand

Every year, I have less and less
time to return here,
but every time I do I see them

They are in awe of me
So alike, so different
The sun hasn't stopped
scattering me with freckles
Especially now,
I no longer hide my skin

And though I don't pretend,
I still wish I was a mermaid

Even though I don't visit enough,
With every trip I find myself
On the beach, at dusk

With my toes in the sand,
and ice cream on my lips,
I realize,
A part of my soul
will always be here