Robin Lovell

A Cormorant

Ambling around the shady lagoon during the last days of summer among moored yachts I espy a cormorant feeding, its dives following a casual rhythm. I await its surfacing, each time delighted to see its head ripple the water. Gently the moored boats rock, their rigging clangs. The lagoon leads into open waters and, about a kilometer off shore, a group of sail boats tack towards a starting buoy. Among whitecaps their sails fashion the wind into curves and arcs as they sweep in and out of each other’s paths seeking the best position. Behind me I hear the cormorant dive.

starting gun sounds
waiting for the cormorant
to surface again