Burning rocks in summer sun

‘neath lazy blue sky.

Waves lapping on the shelving shore,

with whispered hints of a ‘woosh’

from the turning tide,

and the merest suggestion

of tiny bubbles,

muted in the noontime heat.

Exposed bladderwrack,

clinging to the craggy outcrop

revealed by receding waters,

crackles and pops as it dries,

releasing a briny bouquet that hangs in the air.

In the weed-strewn shallows

of an orphan rock pool,

timid, tiny fish take refuge

in the shade of sea palms

wavering in the water.

There is no breeze,

and the stillness echoes

to the querulous call

of a distant gull,

gliding over the sailing craft

becalmed in the bay.

Little else moves,

in this picture-postcard panorama,

save the gentle drift

of a single cloud.