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Thursday 31 December 2009

Serious


.

File:White shark.jpg





The young sharks feed peaceably in the shallow waters.
Because they are strong and proud, they get a chance to be silly.
The old sharks move out to the deeps, hungry, restless and driven.
They are only serious.





File:Whiteshark-TGoss1.jpg






Carcharodon carcharias (Great white shark), Isla Guadalupe, Mexico: photos by Terry Goss, 2006

10 comments:

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Tom,
Wow, beautiful photos (the black and white is enough to make someone think twice about paddling around out there). Thanks for the Thomas Campion poem.
Meanwhile, last morning of the year, clock ticking . . . .

12.31

red-orange clouds on horizon above black
trees, red-tailed hawk calling on branch
in foreground, sound of waves in channel

exact description of matter,
of material substance

so that system of reference,
clock at rest, motion

silver of sunlight reflected in channel,
white cloud in pale blue sky on horizon

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

ps. thanks for note on the Jim Carroll note, just left you another 'memory' there. . . .

TC said...

Stephen,

Beautiful poem today, thanks.

(In case you haven't already guessed, by the way, the image set in this post was meant particularly for your... entertainment, is that the word?)


clock at rest, morning
reflected in black and white
motion of the year, clock ticking... . . .

TC said...

... and speaking of "clock ticking..."

Anonymous said...

Just like us humans =)

TC said...

Lucy,

Now that you mention it, I believe I do see the connection...

A hopefully not overly-serious happy new year to you!

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Tom,
Thanks for that note, I hadn't (quite) "guessed it" but HAD wondered at such 'coincidence' (of interest? or is it 'concern'?). . . .

TC said...

Stephen,

A bit of each perhaps, appreciative interest, friendly concern.

When we lived out by Duxbury reef, we sometimes poked around in the tide pools at low tide and occasionally there would be a small mud shark (young?) stranded in the rock pools at low tide... swimming around peaceably enough until the ocean came back in.

Curtis Faville said...

Big sharks. Why live? To kill and eat. Why eat? To reproduce. Why reproduce? No answer.

TC said...

There must be some altruism in this system somewhere, to be revealed later... MUCH later.