What We Learn From Breaking Waves
Those who climb the furthest up the shore
Are not the waves that break from greatest height,
Who must contend with those who broke before
And spend their force against their backwash flight.
More to be admired are quiet swells
Who bide their time till fighting waves are spent,
Then slip with gentle, unsuspecting poise,
To fan their bubbling foam ‘ere their descent.
These plucky waves meet little to impede
Them as they rise to grace the patient beach,
And slowly, still with grace, to then recede,
And savor unanticipated reach.
And we who strive to make the greatest splash
Ought learn from those who’d rather glide than clash.
Rob Fried is an 81 year-old emerging poet and a retired professor of education. He has authored several books, including The Passionate Teacher (1995, Beacon Press) and The Game of School (2005, Wiley). He lives in Concord, New Hampshire.
Rob, you have written an excellent poem on the value of consistency with imagery of the waves and seashore.
UNDER-UTILIZED RESOURCES
We turn our backs and
Breaking waves waste their beauty
On the un-viewed beach.
7 May 1989, Yakan Point, Graham Island., Haida Gwaii – this haiku the basis for the idea that there should be a Ministry of Natural Beauty that posts every young person in some wild habitat for a year or two so that its beauty doesn’t go unobserved.
Thanks for a wonderfully thoughtful poem that takes the simplicity of waves and puts life in perspective.
Calming and inspiring, Rob. It’s a beach scene I can easily imagine, and think of you alongside pointing out the different kinds of waves, and describing them and their effects as they pass by. The lesson is well taken, but you could probably leave the reader to learn it rather than specifying it in the title. For title, it might be preferable to have something like “Wave Wars” or “Gracious Gliders.” I did notice the repetition of “grace” within the poem. The word characterizes and beautifies those waves covering the most sand.
Many thanks to Roy, Paul, Margaret and Fred. It is lovely to have such sensitive and appreciative readers! Rob