Before the head moved
the body seemed
part of the rock
stepping down
to the cold rising tide.

When the head raised,
with rippling layers of fat
the seal was outlined,
still more earth than animal
until he uncoiled,
and with small shapely fins
dropped into the water.

Taking his sea form
his strength in the world below
as he left the day-lit point
for the last of the salmon,
following the currents,
in touch with the tide,
deep within the web unfolding.

 

Seascape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 Responses

  1. I dearly love this poem! Taoism speaks of the 10,000 things, but is it not one thing with 10,000 costumes. It took a long time to realize that simile, yes, is like something, but metaphor is identification.

    Just a great poem.

  2. To highlight what I liked i would have to quote every line. “Still more earth than animal until he uncoiled.” Oh dear here I go “part of the rock
    stepping down to the cold rising tide;” “dropped into the water,
    taking his sea form,” Oh shoot might as well read the whole poem to everyone I meet.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *