The poem "On Home Beaches" written by Les Murray talks primarily about body image and the extreme, absurd importance attached to it in a consumerist society. It describes the unfair and debilitating humiliation suffered by people with a less-than perfect figure, especially on places like beaches where the body is nearly completely visible.
The poem is a contemporary sonnet in form. Sonnets are generally about love: soft and gentle. The poet ironically turns the very concept of a sonnet inside-out, using it for a poem that is about mortification and ridicule, the very opposite of love in some ways, for humiliation is one of the worst feelings a person can experience.
The imagery in the poem is completely that of the seaside, describing sand, towels lying around, waves, foam, surf, ocean, and people surfing, swimming, and playing ball on the beach. "Belch" faintly hints at the squelching sound made by feet walking on wet sand. Words like "cash" suggest the sound of the ocean. "Sliding" brings to mind waves sliding off the beach. "Strappy" could refer to swimsuits. This would generally give a very positive, light tone to any poem, but various other words used sharply contrast this pleasant scene to the feelings running inside people who are not bodily perfect, and the corresponding scorn felt by those who are. This contrast of positive appearance and underlying negativity significantly increase the effect of the poem and are in running with the basic idea of "image". Certain words are double-edged. On first reading, they appear to be positive and clear-cut, but later allude to a different meaning. "Belch" is a rather harsh word, as is "strappy". "Sliding" could suggest something shady; a transaction where subterfuge is involved.
The extended metaphor running throughout the poem compares humiliation to violence and war- the war ridicule wages against self-esteem. Laughter of ridicule is equated with a "pistol shot" that kills self-esteem.
