Poetry
Tide Pool
Wet warm sand squishes between my naked toes the foamy edge of a tiny wave slides across my foot erasing its sand mud crust
my foot seeks soft places away from fragile sea life hiding in gnarled nooks under rocks inside abandoned shells
a clam filter feeds as I approach slamming shut to protect its tender soft parts
a tiny crab skitters tickles my toes a ring of anemones decorates the sand drawing circles with their offspring
baby crabs hide in seaweed knots a sand dollar nursery a galaxy of sea stars paint their presence orange and purple on the sandy bottom
the tide slides closer submerging life forms shooing human toes away from tomorrow’s sunken treasures
Author’s note: I have the great good fortune to live in the Pacific Northwest, walking distance to pristine stretches of undisturbed shoreline, where all the lifeforms described above flourish, pulse, breed and reproduce, and “decorate the sand.”
Read more about our beautiful beaches here:
And read what can happen when careless humans — homo sapiens, the most deadly of invasive species on this planet — trash the environment:
Thanks for reading, and thanks even more for helping take good & gentle care of our Earthly home.
