On The Write Path

On the beach [JI#8]

For: "Journalistic Intentions" 

On the Beach

ON THE BEACH

Waves crash
at high tide — I toss and turn
beside you

I was raised between lakes of cold and colder water. I don't like cold water or muddy green water or ... most wild water. I like a hot bath! But when I first saw the ocean in Manuel Antonio... warm waters, real sand, I was overwhelmed. I wept on the beach that night, mesmerized by the siren song of the sea, the Southern Cross overhead inviting me to drown my sorrows.

waves crash on a clear
night — the Southern Cross seems
closer than China

Montezuma is a hippie enclave of rocky beaches and real Italian gelato. After a heavy rain the river washes fingerlings down to the sea where the bigger fish gather to feed. Locals fish when the pelicans show up for lunch. The vultures clean up any left over mess. Hotel Lucy sits above the beach by the river and at high tide it feels like the ocean will wash it away.

high tide washes
thoughts away — I toss and turn
beside you

Missoula has a wide river wending its way through it. In a summer when there is little rain it gets lazy and one can walk across it. Folks stack balanced stones, in the manner of Buddhists, that will be washed away come the next flood. The shallows offer a home to fish fry, polliwogs, and water gliders as mallards worry the eddies. Narrow strands of sand beg to be sat upon.

wide shallows —
towers of stone placed on stone
placed on stone

Ales Stenar is an old site of 59 megalithic boulders placed on end arranged in the shape of a ship. It's a peaceful meadow overlooking the Baltic east of Ystad. I ventured there with a couple of Israeli musicians. The sheep sang their own melodic language. Yes, there's a sandy beach, but the stones above speak of ancient voyages.

sheep wander
among stones — a ship stranded
far above the beach

Friends of mine exchanged vows on the shores of a Great Lake one mid-September. Fortunately the water was still warm and it was a bright beautiful day for everyone who gathered. Bahá’í vows are simply, "We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God". I was blessed to be a witness. They have had four daughters, one with special needs that has clarified how to count their blessings.

water cools bare
feet — September
beach wedding

© Copyright 2021 Kåre Enga [177.368] (15.mars.2021)