Seagulls stand at water’s edge,
in stillness, they look out to the gulf,
webbed feet tickled by gentle waves—
born from tranquil water. Unexpected peace
after a week of wild roar.
Within the calm,
sanderlings also cease their scurry,
gather at water’s edge and appear to
cluster in quiet conversation, then,
rest in contemplation.
Movement slows,
lovers walk hand in hand,
while nature ceases her uproar,
inviting us to stop and observe,
the sacredness, which is now.
“When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall; it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient.”
Margaret Attwood, The Panelopiad
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
John Lubbock, The Use of Life
“They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”
Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha