Wednesday, July 10, 2013

wave shoaling

Two years ago, I watched The Tsunami crush Japan
live from an Al-Jazeera helicopter.

Until that moment,
So few people had seen a Tsunami
and lived to describe it
that we had forgotten why we call them tidal waves.

It wasn't a wall of water,
No sudden surge in amplitude
as the wave entered the shallows.

Just a tide that wouldn't ebb
rising faster than
they could run,
or drive.

Those few survivors from history
were right:
smaller than we cared to imagine
-- but relentless,
smashing a delicate coastline,
pushing a boundary ever inwards,
synthezising everything into
one burning wave.