Moon Over Ten Thousand People at the Beach Taking Sun

(from the moon series)

sweats, an ugly shiny sweat all over
a towel of lilies,

all over rough rocky sand
and the sweat makes a river
for sand ants to float down
chunks of fake crab and cherry pits
and the moon, nude,
turns over, turns red, puts on SPF 15
and can't reach the lower back.

It's just that the waters cold
when you go in and the ice cream
is too far away and it's a good thing
it's June 3rd, Corpus Cristi.

And the moon over ten thousand people
at the beach taking sun wonders,
wonders why they all aren't moon bathing,
wonders why moon tan isn't in style,
wonders where moon burn would take

one poor child, sand castled and topless,
hunting shapes in pales and fantastic scenarios
between kings and queens and shells
once breathing under the dying ocean.