On The Write Path

Shape of water [JI#5]

For: "Journalistic Intentions" 

The Shape of Water

SHAPE OF WATER

sparkle
in the bay — on a plate,
fish with mushy peas

The porpoise Fungie teased the visitors to An Daingean (Dingle) from 1983 to 2020. I wasn't blessed to see him when I visited in 2015 but I was amazed by the number of small boats hugging the harbor. And I loved the fish served with mushy peas at the diner on Sráid na Trá. This small brightly painted village lives on water. From MacCarthy's bar to the craftwoman fashioning jewelry from sea glass to the baptismal fountain at St.Mary's.

the bay sparkles —
fish with mushy peas
on a plate

For one thousand years the sea goddess Matsu has protected the myriad sailing ships of Lugang plying waters for crab and shrimp. Her temple lies near the harbor where oyster cakes, soft-shelled crabs, and deep fried mud shrimp are sold across from her courtyard. There is calm the day I visit, but threats from across warm waters remind everyone that storms brew on the horizon.

incense wafts
through crowds — in a paper bag
fried cuttlefish

Tabacco once grew here in the protected arm of the fjord far away from the chilly sea. Now apples blossom on the way to the old stave church of Urnes, but first, a ferry crossing from Solvorn, ripples on a sea of glass, one grey streak breaking the surface, sliding back into the stillness.

dolphins and seals —
grey mountains soar as steadfast
as trolls

Henry the Navigator set up shop at Cabo Sagres, lands end west of Lagos, to teach the sailors how to navigate beyond where the sun blackened skin. His brother, the king, is now forgotten, but Prince Henry launched the Age of Discovery that followed the coast of Africa until an Italian student ventured west across open waters.

coves hide beaches
and clear turquoise waters —
is that a pirate?

© Copyright 2021 Kåre Enga [177.365] (14.mars.2021)