Shadows
Shadows
Shin deep,
hands filled with flailing
suffocating fish
I see dark shadows
and call others to see.
Wrist to elbow long,
they dart skilfully,
herding their prey toward the shore
where then they must either turn into the waiting jaws
or die flipping
ever more slowly
on the rain damp
shore.
Mackerel
chasing whitebait.… Read more
Life saving
Life saving
A swoosh of feet
we run to the sea
untethered
whooping
shrieking,
tip-toeing,
running,
inhaling as tummies are circled in waves.
I reach and swim,
pulling through the water,
sand ridges guiding me.
A swoop of silver fish
ripple past me,
through me.
I surface to shout the others
to look see!
Look … Read more
The fisherman
The fisherman
Shivering from the sea,
I squat and watch
as the line trembles
then arches,
Tense.
His dog nuzzles my hands and I am grateful for the warmth
as we watch the line cut
an arc towards us.
Breaking the waves
Solid muscle thrashing,
Flipping,
Turning inwards on itself
tricked by the… Read more
Small light
Small light
It is beyond dusk,
the fishing boats dot the dark with light,
the waning moon in hidden by long awaited rain clouds
percolating.
I am sniffing my way through up the woodland path
home,
fully feral after days of sea
and tangled
matted hair.
Gate closed,
step one,
then two,
and there it … Read more
Mermaids
Mermaids
From the waves I see them,
Three women, engrossed in each other’s laughter.
They take a selfie,
Arms wrapping each other closely,
Laughing
Heads flung back
Hearts open.
I emerge to the shingle
And cover myself in my pink towel tent
And as I do
they strip,
flinging clothes into a pile
layer after … Read more
Today I swam with a shoal of fish
Today I swam with a shoal of fish
along an English shore.
I paid no attention to the fishermen in their tiny tents
escaping who knows what
or maybe just content to gaze out to sea.
I arrived at dawn across the tiny, glistening circles of crunching stone
and sighed sadly to see the silver… Read more