Sunset, Sidney Island
—Photos by John Westling, Placerville, CA
—Poems by Carol Louise Moon, Placerville, CA
—Photos by John Westling, Placerville, CA
—Poems by Carol Louise Moon, Placerville, CA
EARLY RETIREMENT
This day I go to walk the dog:
it is the edge of dawn,
I with my jogging suit and
he with jog-suit on.
We’ll walk the narrow path
that leads past those who drink
their tea and those who gather
all their gear to go into the sea.
And so we’ll saunter here today,
with cool winds picking up.
Walking slowly to the pier, he
with cap, me with my cup, we’ll
watch the yachts, the fishing boats
the pelicans and gulls. We’ll hear
their cries, the waves that crash,
the clanging of the bells.
But he and I’ll not stay too long,
nor venture very far. We must
go home, and there we’ll watch
the sunset with its fire through
picture windows, nice and warm,
then early we’ll retire.
Columbia Cove
ESTERO BAY
Springtime usually has her way—
as well she has her will.
It’s hot here and the wind is still
on a sea-salt sultry day.
Springtime usually has her way.
Cayucos ‘neath a flowering hill,
a beach town and an calm idyll.
Seashells lie in disarray—
a scattered treasure-chest display.
The lupine found atop the hill
are joined by the merry daffodil
on this idyllic springtime day.
Soaring gulls fly in to play,
to dive, to fish and have their fill.
As well, the pelicans will
surf the waves in this bright bay.
Columbia Cove
SEAWEED
These are not her socks of
blackened green, but her bare
feet that she might feel the sand
between her clumsy toes.
The hair you see is not her hair,
but seaweed lying on the cold, cold
shore. There are bladders, ripe,
on each their rubber ends if you
would care to pop the seaweed bulbs.
Within, is wash to wash your graying
mop—to shampoo with the brackish
ocean tide. Then move along the shore
to find some shells. Of these, then,
make what you would wish. Perhaps
you see her face in this sea star.
Richie
THE OLD SEA CAPTAIN
It was not a dark and stormy night
and the old sea captain was not
on the deck of his ship. He was
at the old Spanish Inn at a table
by himself. I asked him what he
was eating. He said, “Tuna on rye,
coleslaw and a mug of beer.” He
was furiously writing something
on a paper napkin.
“When it’s not a dark and stormy
night,” I asked, “and you’re
not on the deck of your ship,
do you often come to this table?”
‘Though he was busy eating his
tuna on rye, coleslaw and sipping
his mug of beer, he replied that
he liked to sit here and write.
“And, what will you do when
you retire?” I asked.
“If it’s not a dark and stormy
night, and I’m not on the deck
of my ship, I’ll probably come
to this old Spanish Inn and
sit at a table by myself and
order tuna on rye, coleslaw
and a mug of beer. Then I’ll
probably sit and write for
a while. Here’s one I wrote:
It was not a dark and stormy
night, and I was not not on the
deck of my ship. I had come to
this old Spanish Inn to sit
by myself and write at a little
Spanish wooden table. I had
just ordered tuna on rye when
the waitress asked me what
I was doing. I told her I was
retiring and had come to this
inn to sit and write poetry,
repetends mostly."
Seals
Today’s LittleNip:
HARBOR SEALS
—Carol Louise Moon
Two harbor seals
circle our small boat at anchor.
Two harbor seals
whose gray coats glisten like two eels
in this cozy sheltered harbor.
A summer’s day surprise in store—
two harbor seals.
_________________
Our thanks to Carol Louise Moon for these poems from her new series, “The Old Sea Captain”. The photos were taken by photographer John Westling during his voyage in a small fishing boat, circumnavigating Vancouver Island in 2013 with his pal, Richard Golden. He has recently published a novel about the adventure, called Counter Clockwise, which is available on Amazon at www.amazon.com/Counter-Clockwise-Mr-John-Westling/dp/1729298060/.
Tonight from 6-8pm is the weekly MarieWriters Generative Writing Workshop at Sac. Poetry Center, facilitated this week by Laura Martin. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about this and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.
—Medusa (Celebrate the Poetry of the Sea!)
John Westling, Photographer, Writer, Sea Captain
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.