In Between

The waves lap quietly upon the rocky shore
Swirling among the carpet of mussel
Not often exposed at this depth
A pelican swoops before me
Gulls and fog horns call in the distance
Passing craft send the waves more hurriedly to my feet
It is quiet here
Mostly
It is that in-between-time
Summer but a memory
Winter still offshore
but growing closer with each passing day
It is the low Moon Tide
Somewhere between summer’s bustling heat
and winter’s biting chill
It is a time of preparation for the coming darkness
It is the time to collect and recollect seasons past and future
It is time to gather the fruits of our harvest
To store them until there is time and need to sort them
and chew them and refashion them for new uses
Soon it will be time to think and plan and do
the quiet work that prepares us for fresh new things
But that time is not yet here
Today we sit in-between
We act and gather and collect
To prepare for the resting time to come

c. 1995 Bansagart