Saturday, May 05, 2007

sunday scribblings: ocean


hundreds of millions of bubbles


Most of us are lured to the seaside…to gaze outward at the absence of
anything man made, to rest our eyes in that open space, and to sink into the
rhythmic sound of the waves. I suspect the rest of us are aliens.

I’m told that the sound of the surf is caused by hundreds of millions of
bubbles bursting as each wave breaks. It’s a sound, I think, that’s both
exuberant and calming. A yogic combination.

When sounds are given careful attention, we find that the ones we consider
pleasant have a regular pattern of sound waves and those we consider noise,
an irregular one. I want to follow this line away from the city and the language
of scientific analysis to see what the wind in the trees might have to say.

So, thinking about the ocean waves and the regularity of their surrendering
onto the sand, brings me to one of those “of course” recognitions. Of course,
the sound of the waves is calming. And of course, the repetitiveness of a
lullaby lulls. Of course, steady drumming entrances.

The older I get, the more I fall in love with the simplicity of truths that
lie just below the flurried surface, the ones that pop through when I sit
down to listen.

and, thanks to synchronicity...here's a haiku written for last week's prompt at one deep breath.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm quite sure that is a completely new thought for me....that billions of bubbles make the sound of the waves crashing. I'll probably think more about it next time I'm at the beach.

And yes, on the beach at sunset, it could be anytime, even prehistoric. That's how unchanged and primitive it all looks and why I love it.

Regina said...

We have a "sound" machine in our treatment rooms and invariably, the most favorite sound is the one of the ocean waves...
This was lovely...

Unknown said...

This was such an informative and lovely post. When I see the ocean later this evening I will think of the bubbles.

gautami tripathy said...

You title is very vivid. The last paragraph is great.

Crafty Green Poet said...

very true post and beautifully written. I love the sound of the sea too.

Anonymous said...

a lovely post and thank you for sharing your brilliant "of course" recognition (which struck a new chord with me too). I love the idea of the exuberant and calming sound of waves as a "yogic combination".

p said...

I get nervous listening to waves crashing, only the soft flowing waves are soothing. Wonder if its just huge bubbles vs tiny bubbles.

thanks for making me think!

Patois42 said...

Yes, I agree with you. Those not drawn to the sea are suspected aliens. Wonderful post. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Really like this. Especially the bubbles bursting. And the idea of repeating sound soothing.