soft loamy sand beneath curling brine br seagulls screeching br cormorants stretching br terns and puffins and guillemots br buffeting their feathery bodies br br anticipating the casting nets br from ‘Dancing Waters’ br such fragile wood br primed and hewn br to race and spin against cotton tides br br galoshed men in salt-splashed spray br tugging at heavy, drowned nets br iron hooks grasping onto bitter mouths br innocently caught by the dancing worms br dancing in the waters br br and ‘Dancing Waters’ dances on the waters br taking home the catch br to feed the mouths of suckling mothers br pregnant with new life br while the sea – all dried up br repeats its life cyclebr br Penny Hemansbr br