Sensing the Vastness

by John Mason

I see riverflow rise, tumble down mountains
in my mind's eye; see fierce seas batter
shores shifting sand; sea-weed fronds waving,
feel bladder-wrack bursting; feel toes sifting
grains with suck of the tide; taste salt crust
on wavetips, feel tingle of spray; hear simper
of surf-sieved shingle; hear waves breaking
on rocks: drum beat and lion roar; touch beaches,
wide oceans; conjure clouds from my memory:
gigantic beasts battling heroes; all held firm
in senses; light savoured in the dark vastness.

I wrote this in awe of a totally blind friend 'Dot' who is fully attuned to the natural world.