Ripples Poem by Angela Wybrow

Fish:
Dark, slender, uniformed shapes,
Circling round in the shallows;
They glide, seemingly effortlessly,
Yet invisible energy,
Created by their momentum,
Sends gentle ripples,
Each one perfectly symmetrical,
Emanating outwards,
Across the smooth surface
Of the water.

Ripples, which travel and grow
Larger and larger,
Before disappearing,
Only to form, once again,
Almost adjacent,
As the fish
Move quickly onwards
To form yet another circle.

I stand, stock still,
Watching:
Mesmerized -
Almost hypnotised;
I feel their motion
Soothe my heart and soul.

From time to time,
They break away
From the circle,
And, instead, dash and dart -
Always in the same direction;
Each following the others:
Safety in numbers.

I feel strangely emotional;
A deep thrill
Washes over me,
As they dart past my feet,
Only a metre away,
Across the soft, rippled sand,
Warmed by the
September sun.