Waiting

Something she said

Breaks the silence

A raft of surfers float

As innocuous as black gulls

The glossy flint surface

Undulating quietly

Little moments overheard

Small pieces of people

Seeping out

And laughter

The wave he stole

The salt making everyone's eyes shine, bright with fellowship

The connection is momentary;

sometimes just a smile, or eyes meeting,

fleeting as we scan left to right

Recognition

Sometimes a truth escapes

An accent far from my own

A trophy won only for a day, long ago

A promise to meet again

Recurrent and impossible like a dream

After so long without waves

Everyone is happy

Welcoming

Soaking up the summer swell

Small waves are like playing with children

They bring out the delight

The secret playfulness lost in responsibility

Denied by tradition

Giggling and tumbling

In the soft summer foam

Here,

The Winter is different

And silence descends

A military confidence

Helmeted against the elements

The voices drop to lowered tones

Can a lens protect them;

From cold and fear,

And uncertainty?

Sinking beneath the building wall

Deep inward reflection

You come up against yourself

With every wave you face

You get beaten and tested

You find and lose faith

And come up for air

Able to live with yourself.