The Five O’clock Seal
Kelp stalks sway in the low tide swell
Silhouetted dark in the silver sea.
I hear the crack of a gull-dropped shell
Sharp against the sibilant sigh
Of the swirls of salted waters by
The rocks at the edge of the sea.
There, at the rim of the black kelp crowd,
A kelp frond seems to scratch its nose
And slip away, when the rest have bowed
To the rhythm of the gentle tide,
Like mop-haired dancers side by side.
I watch as it quietly goes.
The sleek hide dips between the waves.
He twists with grace through the bubbles bright
And rises with the fish he craves.
He tosses it across the sea
Retrieving it with playful glee –
An aqua-batic delight!
And now the playing part is done.
He seems to lounge upon the sea,
Enjoys his meal, and then is gone.
And all I have is sunset sky
And silver sea and seagull cry
And homeward path for me.
( This poem was inspired by a seal I saw regularly in the late afternoon, when we lived near Fish Hoek in the Western Cape, RSA)
The Wistful Dragon 