Places to walk by the shore

Two are pre-eminent.
They are Sailor’s Point and Chebucto Head.
Both have large granite bedrock that slopes down to the sea.
The meeting of the sea and the rock has always drawn me.
I can watch and listen for hours.
Higher up lichens grow in grey or charcoal flakes on the rough surfaces.
Near the water the rocks are bare.

Things grow wherever they can.
There are pockets of black soil
and pools of dark water.
Blue flags bloom here in wet places.
Tiny cranberry flowers remind me of wild cyclamen
first noticed on the acropolis at Olimpos,
swept back petals, the flowers both delicate and brave.
A small boggy area near the lighthouse is festooned with pitcher plants.
Harebells grow between rocks.
The alder bush held down by winter winds spreads out along the ground.
No trees grow in these barrens.
The dog rose fills a sheltered spot, gentle scent.
Blueberry, huckleberry, bayberry line the paths.

You walk on rocks
or on patches of granular gravel.
There is a horizon, a line so sharp tonight it feels unreal.
The sea is moving slowly.
It slurps and bulges and sometimes crashes.
The air is clean and clear.
One buoy sends its faint hoot,
another clangs in the gentle swell.
You walk and watch.
You breathe.
And you listen.
Sailor’s Point and Chebucto Head.