EVE BLAND
Echo Of Waves
An aeroplane soars up above, hidden within the thicks of the white cloud- I miss the freedom associated with that distant engine hum, the ability to hop between seasons and cultures, the sense of adventure and exploration. Times have changed but the mediative effects of walking the coast remain the same here as they are in the places I wander to within my thoughts. Shells shatter beneath my feet, as they sink into the damp sand beneath with each step. Grounded, my thoughts return to the here and now. I notice a single droplet of rain land on my cheek. In contrast with the howling gusts of wind that whip at my skin, the rain seems soft and gentle. A plethora of sensory experiences. The vastness of the ocean and out of reach horizon reminds me of how small I am. An insignificant figure, just like those around me that speckle the shore. The echo of waves, as the whitewash rolls in and is then beckoned back out, bounces from the cliffs that tower above me. The coastal landscape has a way of putting everything into perspective- scale and emotions alike.
​
Enveloped in stillness
Bitten by the cold
In the arms of winter
At the mercy of her hold
Feelings of isolation
In a vast expanse of white
Dancing with the snowflakes
Under flat January light
Gentle breaths of wind
Steady waves they hush
Mother Nature beckons
Slow down
Use your senses
There’s no need to rush
​
​
The rippling of water
Cuts through the silence
As it tickles the feet
Of the red sandstone giants
Clouds start to whisper
To the horizon below
Colours prepare
For the evening show
The sun becomes tired
Sinking lower in the sky
Tucks into the bed
That the hillside provides
​
​
Seas of churned up sediment provide no temptation for a dip
Horizon flecked with white lights from far away ghost ships.
The musky smell of bonfire evokes memories of Fall
Familiar and lingering, in the damp air and drizzle.
The warm glow of streetlights lines the path up to the cliffs
Guidance to lost souls who wander in the evening mist.
​
​
​
Clouds collide
Patterns and forms contrasting
As they meet in the blueness
Of a crisp January afternoon
Indigo and grey
Rugged with an air of softness
And ethereal white stripes that stretch
The lengths of the red sandstone below
Cliffs dwarf me
Intimidating and unpredictable
Recent rockfall evidenced by
Fragments of rock strewn boldly across the sand
A veil of pink proceeds
Illuminating the walk home
Past daffodils that promise spring
And the familiar golden halo of the pre-sundown sky
​
Bleakness.
The ghost of a ship lurks on the horizon,
Ominous in the eery stillness.
A lone kite twitches in the southerly breeze,
Dancing amongst white caps in the vastness of grey.
The hillside emerges from a bed of mist,
Sprawling across the water's surface.
Guls flock, drifting high above the volatile sandstone,
Gliding effortlessly.
Energy within the bleakness.
The scuffing movement of boots on the wet sand
Provides a steady rhythm, increasing in tempo.
1,2,3 ,1,2,3
In response to the impending rainfall.
1,2, 1,2,
Homewards.
​
​
A minute of light,
In the darkness of the storm.
The clouds have parted.
A strip of turquoise.
Shimmering in the sunlight,
a beacon of hope.
Amongst the rainfall,
Momentary paradise,
carries me away.
The cloud has returned
Casting shadows and darkness
onto the Ocean.
The blue fades away
a reminder that nothing
can last forever.