Saturday, February 20, 2010

a slow return

the waves -
crashed
to my right
small
and
insistent

i think
they sensed my presence

because they
left very little space
as i inched along
the shingle beach

in fact they grew louder
larger
reaching for my feet
cold water fingers found their way
inside my boots

~

in my ears the grinding
of small rounded pebbles

in my eyes

an icy promontory


a frozen bearded sea-lion
looking out to sea


icicles even


slowly returning
to the sea
they had just left

26 comments:

Dan Gurney said...

Lovely photos of the cold, cold lake shore. Stay warm in those colder climes.

Penny said...

Wow!

Linda Sue said...

Returning VERY slowly! Frozen sea! Where did those shots come from- SO cold! Still snowing on Steven's world!

Kay said...

Don't you just hate wet boots!! those ice sculptures are amazing...makes me feel cold just looking!!xx

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

fabulous photographs steven!!!!!

steven said...

hey dan - the temperature's hovered around minus eight for weeks, so for these climes that's pretty nice. there's hardly been any snow. clouds and sun mixed. there's the weather forecast!!! steven

steven said...

penny - wow's right! i was a in a state of wow as i made my way along the shoreline and saw the ice!!! steven

steven said...

hey linda sue - these shots are taken about a hundred metres from my mum's home in cobourg, ontario. she's very close to the north shore of lake ontario. the beach area is called monk's cove. steven

steven said...

kay - wet boots and wet underwear are high on my list of most unfortable feelings!!!! steven

steven said...

bonnie thankyou. i really like the top one the most. steven

Elisabeth said...

Wow that sea lion is just amazing. I've never seen anything like it.

Where do you live, Steven? Your walks take you into view of some of the most extraordinary sights.

Thanks.

steven said...

hi elisabeth - this is about forty five kilometres south of me in a town called cobourg. my mum has her home there and this beach is right down the street. my dad used to photograph it a lot and so i am drawn through that connection. getting these shots was a little sketchy and i was nervous being so close to the sea which has a bit of a drop - off and a notorious undertow - but i couldn't help being drawn to this icy overhang. thanks for dropping by! steven

Golden West said...

I have very little experience with lakes and am most familiar with oceans and rivers... Your photographs get my mind wandering down a "Creature From the Black Lagoon" direction!

steven said...

hi golden west - i thought it had a bit of a monstery look about it also. steven

Reya Mellicker said...

Wow, those icicles! Incredible. Today I thought, "I wonder which poet wrote today's piece ..." YOU! Bravo.

How do you do it?

steven said...

hey reya - aren't they cool! how do i write - it's strange reya but people call what i write "poetry" and i just think of it as words. i organize the words so that the reader sees them and has to stop between phrases or ideas or to dwell on a single word and apparently that makes it poetry. the words sometimes meet me on my walks home or when i am out taking photographs. if it works i say them out loud. then i write them down as soon as i get home. other times i sit and look at the photographs and try to feel the scene on the surface and then underneath. as far down as i can get. those are times when i feel most truthful about my writing because i make the surface of the words say something of what i saw. long answer for a simple question! have a lovely dc day. melting? steven

hope said...

Double WOW!

[1] That you were actually walking about in that stuff. And [2] that you managed to capture a photo of the illusive icicle sea lion. ;)

steven said...

hiope i couldn't believe it! the rare icicle sea lion!!! i crept step-by-soggy step along the shingly shore hoping it wouldn't notice me approaching. i snapped off a handful of quick pics and then booked it double quick back to my safe spot! thanks for dropping by. steven

Joanna said...

Incredibly COLD photos. Beautiful. I enjoyed your post as well as your explanation to Reya about your writing. I'm especially drawn your phrase "the words meet meet me." I think we can all do that if we create space in our heads. Have a lovely weekend.
Joanna

steven said...

hi joanna - it wasn't too cold that day actually - about ten below zero celsius. i agree that much of writing and seeing is about being available. enjoy mexico for me will you!!! steven

Margaret Pangert said...

It's a shrine of icicles and fiery red stones underneath. A sacred place.

Crafty Green Poet said...

wonderful photos, it does look like a lion too

Connie T. said...

I love the poem and the pictures. Great capture.

steven said...

hello margaret, i hadn't thought of that. although i did wonder if i dare risk a crawl underneath it. the waves came right up there so it was my fear of getting sucked out to sea that prevented me. steven

steven said...

hi connie!!! thankyou very much. steven

steven said...

hey crafty green - a pretty icy lion. steven