By Margaret Bromage
SECOND PLACE in the September 2026 Competition
He sits, like the others, his face lifted upwards to better catch the warm rays of the summer sun. His eyes are closed; his brow unfurrowed. He seems lost in his own thoughts; perhaps a million miles away on some other distant shore.
But, on second glance: a slight hesitancy as he reaches for her hand and puts it to his lips. An awareness, as he tilts his head from side to side, to better gauge the sound of the lapping ocean as it dances towards his feet. He is smiling…
I am not adrift when I close my eyes on the shore of the seeing. I can taste the cool water’s salty spray, as it falls like gentle rain upon my lips. I can feel the flowing tide and the softness of the sand as they come together to play between my toes. I can hear the rhythm of the waves, at times a fond caress; at times a thunderous crash and deafening roar. On this sun-kissed shore – my cares whisked away on a passing breeze – I snuggle in its sweet embrace. So, wondrous Light: I grieve thee not. No endless shade, no bitter tears, no ‘might-have-been’. I cannot mourn for what was never mine.
There is a magic that all can feel but none can see. A fleeting sense – when every heart must pause for breath: when dreamers dream, when spirits soar, and when the soul finds solace here on earth.
He leaves, like the others, his arm linked with hers, barely lifting his feet above the warm sand. He moves with a fluidity and self-assurance that belies his reality. No banishment for him to solitary isles. He is beyond all walking and will fly. For there is daylight in his heart. Only his eyes are blind.
Judge’s Comments: ‘A beautifully written tale of a man experiencing the shore, with a lovely twist. Poetic and moving.’
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