August 14th journal

I am standing atop the point watching the sky to the south. The sound of crashing upon the rocks is barely audible on the verandah of the house, however here, the thunderous roar of a wave from a freighter wake, sounds like a freight train colliding with the rocks. Each successive deluge rams into the rock bed and I can feel its shudders reverberate through the rock and up the bluff. I watch as the next wave strikes the bottom of Lovers Leap then arcs along the bluff to where I stand and beyond. As the wave passes through the kelp bed off the point, it causes the living mass of bull kelp to resemble a thousand sea serpents swimming in unison. A perfectly timed breeze kicks up from the south and sends a slight shiver down my back. Absentmindedly I nudge a stone with my toe and watch as it bounces down the bluff and falls into the frothing tempest below. I inhale deeply, my gaze returns to the undulating sea serpents, and I find myself thinking of the nothingness of air. I am open to all my senses experiencing just for their own sake, not allowing my brain to interpret each smell, touch, or feel.
I think how most people see the iconic image of the sailor gazing out to sea, and it conjures up feelings of a forlorn and troubled life, or a deep rooted sadness. True there may be some heartbreak in the sailors eyes, but instead he is looking out across the great expanse of his lovers body. Smooth and calm one day, supple and forthcoming, or a raging and unforgiving tempest that claims all in the end. It is no wonder that the humors of the sea and women are so linked. One who professes to understand the complexities of either is truly a fool. The true sailor may long for his mistress while upon the sea, playing about with dreams of one day returning to a warm bed and a comforting embrace. But does he not feel the same as he stands upon the cliff and looks out upon the sea. Thus it is not a sadness, but a tragic longing to return to the cold embrace of the mistress tat will ultimately claim his life, if not his soul.