IT DIDN'T LOOK THAT WILD... (BODYBOARDING AT MAWGAN PORTH...)

 It Didn’t Look That Wild…

A third approach.

This time there was a tree-branch lying on the wet sand.

And the marks of horses’ hooves.

The riders surely needed bin bags, just in case…

The tide, nearly at low looked tame 

And barely significant.

Yet, as I neared the shallows and I began to broach

The surly surf, with board clutched in gloved hand,

The ocean’s sound which so often soothes

Began to seethe, spew and spurt apace…

The waves were belligerent, seeking to blame

Or accuse and rant.

As I edged along a slight decline into the chaotic scene,

The sea appeared to suck the shallows back,

Causing the next breaking, curling row of water

To rise over its predecessor, roaring into the attack.

I turned in defence, grasping my board and leaned,

As the chaotic gush threw me into its swirl.

I was bucked and slung, nearly losing my board,

Then regained control as the crazy ride unfurled.

The thrust shoved and shook and shuddered and sheared 

Me through the water with a thorough trouncing,

Overriding previous waves, urging me onwards

Until I was gliding, propelled and bouncing…

I was thus deposited upon the wet, slick sand of the shore 

And I lay motionless there, carelessly spat clear by the furore… 

Pete Ray

16th March 2022

Didn’t look that exciting as I walked out towards the sea but when I was close, it was clear that the tide was turning. 

There was a shifting and a shaking of waves joining each other to rise in a pair and send a waiting bodyboarder into a mad ride, the like of which one would pay dearly for at a fun park…