Although I’m back in Kampala, far from the beach and the feeling of holiday that filled the end of the year, the photos and the memories of weeks in Kilifi keep me company. The memory of daily ocean swims, continues to warm and inspire.

Kilifi Morning

i

Waking before full light, strands of night in the air,

Heat rising from the mattress ejects me from bed,

Sliding open the doors, I sense high-tide.

ii

Damp-from-evening-swim swim-suit, kikoy, sandals,

Leave Neem tree shade, for quiet morning light.

Smells of cardamom, fresh-lit fires, a hint of heat to come.

iii

Coral beach passageway still holds cool, soil gives way to sand,

Reflected dawn-light blocks my view until stepping out, onto the beach.

Spring tide has brought the foamy waves almost to the steps.

iv

Indian ocean; soft as silk, powder blue, rolling smoothly,

Sand sun-bleached, sparkling golden sunrise light,

Sky-sand-ocean, light-filled awe.

…

January 2021

Bofa Beach, Kilifi, Kenya