Words and images from my walks and interactions with nature and the environment.
The Edge
What is it that draws me to the edge
over and over
like a thread pulling me from my center?
the clean line where water meets sky
where certainty and mystery converse
the shapeshifting dance of ocean and land
constantly in motion
the creative process of these two great beasts
sculpting the shoreline
a game of negotiation
push and pull
each giving way to the other
for space to breathe
in cyclical rhythms
stone, shell and weed
deposited
and relocated repeatedly
appearing and disappearing as waves go about their work
rearranging compositions of beach life
the gulls that commune
in nightly ritual
flap and flock in warm glow
balance upon their neat reflections
the magic of seeing double
the world upside-down
talking back through mirrors of wet, glassy sand
silhouettes of fleetingly lived moments
captured inside randomly shaped pools
scattered across the shore
like miniature lakes on a lonely planet
and their guardians
walking
standing
playing
upon the surface
dodging obstacles and watery holes
the choreography of clouds
that only long stretches of time will compose
slow dances of transitory forms
shaped by light and shadow
and the master of it all
illuminating the world with brilliant rays
painting the sky with mesmerizing murals of vibrant color
sweeping brush strokes streaming across the distant edge
each night
a new expression of solar emotion
then taking all down
into the night.
Gulls Gathering.