Ode to the Beach

By: Madison Buchanan

You are the reason there are so many smiles in the world.

Feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays on my skin

Hearing the waves crash like an angry storm

Stepping on the sand, and feeling it tickle your toes

The season of jubilation and smiles

Hearing the ice cream truck from miles away

Smelling the salty water greet you from far away

You are the idea of absolute bliss

That feeling of the sun’s kiss

As the sunsets, beauty shows far beyond what the eye can see

Seeing the children build sandcastles as high as Mount Everest

You are my knight in shining armour

When I sit on the cotton like sand enveloping me,

the feeling of comfort overwhelms me

Seeing the birds fly high in the sky

Like a baseball soaring into the stands on a hot summer day.

Looking up at the sky and seeing far beyond

Like the future, only stunning

That feeling that the clouds are smiling at you

When you feel as if the sun is watching over you

Seeing the surfers on the waves as if they are one with the ocean

You are the reason there are so many smiles in the world.

Reflection:

1. The type of poem I published was an ode.
2. I chose the beach as the subject of my ode because it is my favorite place to go and it is a really comfortable place to be. I believe that it is so beautiful.
3. The tone of my poem is comfort and happiness because when I am at the beach I feel safe and at ease.
4. The theme of my poem is being comfortable with your surroundings and to spend time where you are happy.
5. One example of figurative language in my poem is “seeing the birds fly high in the sky like a baseball soaring into the stands on a hot summer day.This piece of figurative language is a simile. This relates to the tone and theme of my poem because it contributes to the feeling of comfort with surroundings and knowing what makes you happy where you are. I enjoy baseball and the beach and the analogy makes sense. Another example of figurative language from my poem is “hearing the waves crash like an angry storm.” This is a simile. To me, the sound of the waves is very relaxing. The waves are always crashing against the sand and the sound can be very soothing and comforting.
6. One way I revised my poem is by adding my last line “You are the reason there are so many smiles in the world” and also as the first line of my poem to add repetition and a more poem like sound. Another way I revised my poem was by adding the line “Smelling the salty water greet you from far away” to add more to my poem and make the reader feel like they are at the beach.
7. This poem was easy to write once I figured out the topic I was going to write about. It was difficult for me to think of an idea to write about but once I thought of a topic it was very easy to write the poem. The imagery was very easy to write but I had some trouble coming up with enough figurative language.
8. I am very proud of my final draft of my poem because poetry has been something that I can struggle with, mainly because it is difficult for me to think of a topic.