Sketches: By the Sea

1

That black man running

Headlong on the beach

Throws back the white

Soles of his feet

Lightning strikes

Twice on the sand

Left foot and right,

My pen in hand

2

Hearing the sea

Not seeing it

On the other side

Of the dunes

Is enough for me

This morning

The distance I keep

From the sea I hear

Brings distance near

3

At night, off shore

Sometimes the lights

On the fishing boats

Sink out of sight

That string of lights

Salt water wets

Makes the fish rise

To tridents and nets

Samuel Menashe

From The Niche Narrows:
New and Selected Poems,
Talisman House, Publishers,
© 2000.  Reprinted by
permission of the author.