Thursday, September 20, 2007

maps,cleaning up, helmet

Patches of foam in the smooth water after a wave look like islands on a map.

From the balcony, in the early morning, I see on the beach three women performing oriental exercises. Their hands clenched together, their arms extended, they stretch forward, describe a circle reaching forward and bowing to the sea. The only other people on the beach are two uniformed employees of the Ajuntement de Sitges. They are wearing blue t shirts and blue baseball caps. One has an orange rake and the other a green one. They are methodically sweeping the tide mark of jetsam.

At the table next to us, outside the tapas bar, sits a couple facing each other. On the table is an almost spherical, shiny black safety helmet. In its convex mirror I see: myself, Heidi, the umbrella above our table, the umbrella above the couple´s table, a patch of sky with sun coming through light cloud, the hands of the man moving as he talks to his companion, and the woman, still and contemplative.

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