The channel rolls with long dark whitecapped waves
Upstream. Before me, in the lee, pale blue and
Soft mageneta ripplescome, and early light
Touches tops of clouds in pink and payne’s grey.
An osprey circles overhead as a small red-
Roofed runabout struggles bouncing to cross the
Rolling surf and slows at last to wallow
Diagonally to the other side until, once out of
The channel’s roll, it picks up speed and steadies
On its course again.
This wind will bring rain
From the south up the coast, as hurricanes begin
Down there again, and we catch edges and fall rains.
Sun strikes the far shore and islands
And the tops of our trees , invading the
Previously solemn morning with fresh life
And colour, setting all in stark relief.
— August 25, 2006 6:30 am
