portrait of my mother as a young woman

a series of photos; tiny in size, sepia in print
and with the quaintness of polaroids,
all telling the story of one girl's joy
on fistral beach.

knelt in skinny supplication with sand slipping
fingers and wind teasing waves of hair
whilst a teasing smile lingers: her grin combined
with unfathomable stare.

an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, 60's print bikini,
upon a waist where there was none!
donned by a girl with a face that lacked lips -
typical quip, from my loved, self-critical
and only human mum.

an unobservant bloke thought it was me,
which i thought was a joke. i can see now
that there's something in it though;
the wispy waves, the elfin face, the chinese-eyes!
minus of course, the bemoaned, the groaned
and non-existent lack of bloody waist!