Jenny King
Waves
I keep coming back to the to and fro of them,
rhythmic movement of the sea’s edge.
A child, amazed by the endless slip and lift,
I watched to see how high it would come,
how far down it could retreat.
Shore breeze, gulls’ cries, briny kelp smell,
the underfoot shifting of damp sand,
grew tangled into the waves’ presence
where I stood staring or running forward and back,
involving myself in the elements.
These days I watch for the pauses. Like breath filling
and emptying, a moment of balance comes between in and out,
between out and in,
like someone saying, “Really? Let’s think about that.”
For a moment the world is not changing but listening.
rhythmic movement of the sea’s edge.
A child, amazed by the endless slip and lift,
I watched to see how high it would come,
how far down it could retreat.
Shore breeze, gulls’ cries, briny kelp smell,
the underfoot shifting of damp sand,
grew tangled into the waves’ presence
where I stood staring or running forward and back,
involving myself in the elements.
These days I watch for the pauses. Like breath filling
and emptying, a moment of balance comes between in and out,
between out and in,
like someone saying, “Really? Let’s think about that.”
For a moment the world is not changing but listening.
Page(s) 12
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