Her long body in the spangled shade of the wood
was a swimmer moving through a pool:
fractal, finned by leaf and light;
the loose plates of lozenge and rhombus
wobbling coins of sunlight.
When she stopped, the water stopped,
and the sun re-made her as a tree,
banded and freckled and foxed.
Besieged by symmetries, condemned
to these patterns of love and loss,
I stare at the wet shape on the tiles
till it fades; when she came and sat next to me
after her swim and walked away
back to the trees, she left a dark butterfly.
For my aunt who always was an avid swimmer! While my family attended the memorial service back home I spent the afternoon with my hands in the soil, planting new seeds. At times like these it is hard to be so far away from them all. I didn't pick up my camera all day, so this is another shot from the sea mist day. I guess digging the soil felt much more life affirming.
Beautiful photo and gorgeous sentiment. Love doesn't know about geography so even though you didn't get to the memorial, I'm sure your Aunt knew you were thinking of her :-)
What a beautiful shot - it seems perfectly fitting to your day. It is hard to be away from family on important days both good and sad, this was a fav for me before I read its significance and now I love it even more. x
