Published in Mark Tredinnick, editor, NV Anthology 3, the third collection of poems of the ‘New Voices’ poetry group, Richmond Publishing, Sydney, 2018, p. 10.
Green-blue sea of promise:
I bob to its surge,
waist then face submerged,
salty water up my nose,
lips a Plimsoll line,
toes a gimbal on sand
ready for the ocean.
We leap to catch a
hollow wave that breaks
a way to shore. My body
glides, a propelling kick,
I dolphin through the swell.
“Go with the flow” is for rivers.
Body surfing is knowing when
you and the tide ride together.
Experienced swimmers beyond
the break, “kooks” closer in, all
seeking signs, looking at each
other too. A gull watches
overhead. Water sprays over me
as the ocean’s muscles
flex and like one long arm
sweep over our world. We
swim alive to the brim as wave
after wave arches, sometimes
unpredictably. We think we
know this beach, but
then we get dumped.
Sometimes slow waves,
an uncatchable mash, sometimes
three-footers that barrel and
make you pick your bail-out
or wipe-out. Dive, dive!
Live by your wits out here; surf
plays with the ebb and flow of ego.