Dual Coast

Assateague Saturday Night By Maria DePaul

When the sun sets behind the dunes,

The sky slips from orange

To indigo, and we gather kindling

To light a campfire.

Beachcombers pack up

To go to dinner, but we

Huddle together to roast

Marshmallows and hot dogs.

We watch sand pipers

As they dig for clams and

A family of wild horses

Galloping in the surf.

We tell ghost stories

Until the embers burn out;

Then, we spot constellations

Under a full moon.

As the horses retreat

To the marshes for rest,

We turn in for the night,

Listening to a gull’s caw.