Seawater

The water  gathers,    :- v
swells,
climbs into air
then hangs
as an arc for a moment
a slice
of dark water

like the arm of a bridge
over a chasm
over space
a glassy arm  curves and holds

then tips and folds onto
itself, a crash of white froth
foams  and charges down-
tumbling  and churning its
glassy surface to a dark green

boiling, flinging white bubbling
arms  up the beach like prancing
ponies in a race, they ride faster
gathering pace with the push,
advancing  in a canter of riotous
water, an  uneven line of
white  heads springing side-by-

side jostling for position and
spraying  spume like a snort
and  a breathing, until
running  and running they

are spent and fade slowly to
smooth  movement,  heads down
in defeat they swirl to a
surface of glass rolling sleekly

leaving behind white trails of
froth, dripping manes, bowed
heads  thin and lined they roll
forward,  skim the sand

and  are sucked-back, subsumed
to  be part of the dark heaving mass
that draws-in, ready to fling

the  next arm of an
arcing wave  sucked and gathering.
Collected Works
Return to Collections all
next poem