Visitors
Summertime people,
buy lobsters at the dock,
rent at outrageous prices,
tip the waitress at the inn.
These are the entry fees;
killing with kindness.
The passion for the water’s edge
has put the view beyond the reach
of lobstermen’s children.
They live inland
where land is cheap
and their boats are invisible.
They need our trade, our jobs,
but we share only pleasures.
The hard life is unseen
behind the screen on summer.
Lari Smith