Just Because
The sea moved sparingly
Like a monster sleeping
The gentle rise and fall rhythmic and soothing
Over head the sky bruised lay heavy over all
Now and then rain falls leaving all, polished bright
Three surfers sit astride their boards amid the calm water
Hoping for the slumber to end
For the waves to break once more
We sit high above the scene
Behind glass walls of a café bar
Enjoying lunch and coffees
Remembering other days when I worked nearby
And would sit, reviewing my day and all it held
Hubby enjoys his roasted toasted vegetable sandwich
Sweet with Kasundi, a spicy Indian chutney
I savour a gorgeous chicken onion avocado honey mustard pile
The locally sourced gluten free bread, so good
The coast stretches far on either side
One long sweeping bay The Rip and beyond to the east
Behind me, westward Bluff point at Barwon Heads
We eat slowly and I recall another day with calm sea and purple sky
So breathless we all expected something special to happen
And it did
Just like today, boys sat on boards waiting surf in drowsy serenity
When a fin broke the surface of the water
It stirred a frisson of fear
Sparking senses alive
The arcing motion betrayed the bodies below
A pod of dolphins ready to play circled inviting
We all thrilled the watchers and the wave riders
At the encounter
But not today
Today the pressure broke as did the waves
Still I did see the fairy penguin make a rare daytime dash for cover in the sand dunes
The Willie wagtails chattering, sweeping the air for flies
The dull buff coloured wrens darting here and there
Dragonflies dodging raindrops in halting flight
A wonderful day unplanned
Remarkable snatched from the unremarkable
Just because
Words, Photographs and Watercolour © Denise Stanford
Within the Vine 