Sandcastles

Sandcastles, by Toni Louise Diol, draws readers into a magical place of peace and contentment on the timeless shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean in Hilton Head Island. Grounded in the rich imagery of the seashore, Diol captures moments with photographic precision that invite readers to walk with her and experience sights and sounds of the wind and sea. Listen carefully. You may decipher the secret language of the elements. Lose yourself in temperamental waves that can be calm or moody. Walk the cold seashore when a sudden thunderstorm develops. Outrun the haboob, a giant wall of sand that rushes toward you, or whirling banshees screaming as they swirl.

Morning arrives, an azure sky umbrellas the sea. The Atlantic is calm and tired, the wind soft and scented with seaweed and salt. Seagulls coast on air currents. The sun rises. Children and adults build sandcastles. Bikers and baby strollers join the parade of seashore walkers, shellers and gawkers that follow the outgoing tide toward the horizon.

For more than twenty years, Diol has visited Hilton Head with her husband, David, their three children, and eleven grandchildren. The evocative and haunting images that reveal the endless mysteries of the ocean, wind and time inspire her and have become her muse. This stunning poetry collection invites readers into a space of quiet reflection and introspection. They, too, will experience dolphins, or twilight treks along a sleepy sea beneath a star-filled sky, developing their own kinship to our vast world.