The Assembly

They’re down by the water
With folding chairs, awnings,
Paddle boards, rafts, music

From portable speakers,
Children armed in floaties,
Parents in baseball caps,

Bassinet-sized coolers,
Coolers big as cupboards
Full of sodas and beers.

They laugh and play for hours
While their pickups stand guard
On the ridge above them.

The music never stops,
And then, like that, it does.
The families are trooping

Up the slope, carrying
Coolers and folding chairs,
Awnings and paddle boards,

Having agreed they’re done,
Loading up the pickups,
Throwing in their towels.