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Evening Sun by Suzanne Meehan
A lazy setting sun lingers
in the summer evening sky
Like a golden chariot
It splinters white rays
across a still sea
A rare gift
drawing sea swimmers to the cove
Quiet joy settles over small gatherings
basking like seals on the rocky beach
The sea laps the shingle like dogs
licking salty water from the shore
Couples embrace, chest deep in waters
that sting and soothe, comfort and caress
Solo swimmers find solace in the horizon
Families pack up as sandcastles
are gently reclaimed by the sea
I float, weightless
Lick the salt from my lips
Helios above and Poseidon below
For a moment the world feels slow
Bio
Suzanne Meehan is a Dublin-based poet, mother and teacher. Her work has been published in Poetry’s Dead Podcast Anthology Vols. 1 and 2, One Good Day Journal and Quillkeepers' Press anthologies Unfinished Conversations and Metaphorically Speaking. Her poetry explores identity, female experience and memory through the lenses of philosophy, mythology and the natural world. Writing from a working-class perspective, she is interested in examining the intersections of home, nature and belonging. Her poetry combines lyrical imagery with reflective, philosophical enquiry.
Author's note
‘Evening Sun’ is a reflective poem on our connection with nature. It sprung from a trip to Seapoint Beach in Dublin on a rare evening of warmth and sunshine. Irish people are fixated on the weather, it dictates a lot of our lifestyle. To have a hot summer is a blessing, and the joy to spend time in the sea is a real gift. Of course there are many who religiously baptise themselves in the sea, hail, rain or snow but they are Nature’s devotees and understand the healing she brings. Alluding to the Greek Gods is a way to acknowledge the power of the elements and a reminder to reconnect with them.
Photo by Suzanne to accompany the story:
