Tidepool (The Queen's Bath)
elehna de sousa
Toronto, Ontario CA
Along the path, the intoxicating scent of ripe
guava and passionfruit...
I pick and eat, slipping and sliding all the way
down
down through wet ferns,
.................waterfalls
.....................and red mud,
songbirds all around
And under the blazing sun
I walk on a field of lava as far as the eye can see
my body wet
with sweat and salt spray.
Then, in the distance, at the edge of sea and
sky:
a turquoise jewel embedded in black rock.
I rest awhile ...
belly down, in lava rock
beside giant leatherbacks that bob up and disappear
into the oceanšs surge
... slip over the edge and into the tidepool,
floating on my back, lulled by the rhythm of the sea, almost asleep ---
such peace!
curious, these tiny fish
.....................nibbling
.........................at my fingers and
toes
I stay until the sun turns flaming orange, dips into the horizon and brilliant
stars appear to guide my way home.
