Bread clip stingers

I saw you
on the lawn
at Britannia Beach

when it was closed
for swimming

because
of some algae bloom

or bacteria count

at least
we didn't have
to worry
about radioactive waste

or rogue shark sightings
in shallow water

or cliff erosion

or rock falls

or jellyfish stings

you had your hands
behind your knees

as you sat
with your legs
akimbo

and your green
Converse sneakers
with the laces in

and the knot tucked
in
under the tongue

at first
I wasn't sure
what you were looking
at
in the grass
but then
I saw
it was bread tags

on which
you had your eye
you picked one
and bent it
in half
and broke it
and hooked it
on your index finger

and flicked it
twenty meters
or more
and I said
you're good at that
and then her eyes met mine
and she said
what
bread clip stingers

and she grinned mischievously
and said
that was pretty good
wasn't it
and said something
about her misspent youth
and flicked another one
and a third
before she said she was conflicted
because she didn't know if
it was littering
to pick up the tags
and split them
and flick them
instead
of picking them up
and disposing them

I said
I didn't know
the things were
on the lawn anyway
but a passerby said
the gulls could choke
on them
and we both felt guilty
and that was the end
of that little bit
of fun
for the afternoon

you slipped the cat glasses down
from your head
to your eyes
and I saw that you had
blue white eyes
yet not
as watery
as those of a China doll

but then you got serious
all of a sudden
and it was awkward
to maintain eye contact
so we both looked away
as if to say
forget about it

at the same time
and let the gulls

get on with their day