Aberffraw, Anglesey

pearly clouds bloom against the

untrue blue of a spring sky

a gushing sort of day

and a tide that seems in a hurry

with its roaring ebb and flow

glistening like quicksilver

in the sun.

 

the blustery, warm, southerly wind

blasts crazily against our faces,

against our bodies.

each step along the sand an exhilarating

assault course against the elements.

a dozen maybe, giddy dogs run

hither and thither

happy, with tongues lolling

a little spooked by the mad wind

running in and out of the sparkling sea

and returning, tails wagging, coats dripping

pleased with themselves as they

shake and spray their owners.

 

gulls are drifting on the thermals

oyster-catchers and curlews mosey along

the shoreline like high street window shoppers

the gushing gets stronger –

the force of the wind,

the heat of the sun,

the volume of the crashing tide

pushes up through my booted feet,

surges up into my belly, it’s joyful

it’s nature’s mad dance

even the shells, the mermaid’s purses,

the clumps of khaki-tinted seaweed

could well be caught up in a merry prancing

when my back is turned!

 

we’ve walked and walked and now

reached the rocks,

here we rest a little, catch our breath

collect driftwood, look towards the black

silhouetted mountains of, what we think is,

the Llyn Peninsula;

we talk of Henry, my father-in-law

and of Murphy our dog

of how much over the years

both enjoyed it here before they departed

to their respective heavens.

and now the wind is behind us

and the return journey easier

blowing, pushing us homeward.

I watch the marram grass of the dunes -

the dunes like so many gonks

with their sandy domes and tufted hair –

shine silvery-white then green

as they are blown.

and the shifting sand skitters like

horizontal smoke-signals

across the beach.

and with wild, whipped up hair,

the salty taste of sand upon my tongue

the grittiness in my ears

and on my face

I am as one with the ocean

buffetted by the wind

warmed by the sun

and kissed by the Irish sea.