I stood on the beach watching
It moved east, parallel to the shore
Bobbling on the sparkle of cat’s paws
Behind the forming swell of gentle breakers
A tern interrupted her flight to peer closer
Hanging just above in squealing hover
.
What it was I could not tell either
But curious, I walked to the foamy edge
My linen trousers rolled up to my knees
Advanced bare-foot, shin deep into the chill
It floated out beyond my reach
Elusive flotsam, mystery from the deep
.
n.b. Cat’s paws are a form of waves. They are capillary waves of a small scale that are pulled up from the surface of the sea by the wind and pulled back toward the surface by the meniscus, (surface tension of the water).
CLP 19/02/2020
