6:00 AM,
Gulf Stream, FloridaI couldn't sleep last night, for reasons that are not important. We all have our "can't sleep" stories. After turning and thrashing most of the night, I finally gave up and stumbled to my balcony; a cup of coffee in hand, ready to face the day.
As I stood facing the ocean one thing was readily apparent, even to my sleep-deprived mind. It was going to be another spectacular day. The wind was calm, the surface of the ocean glassy smooth, and the sun was announcing its arrival by bathing a few scattered clouds on the horizon in tones of rosy pink. Looking up and down the beach there was no one and nothing to be seen; nothing that is, but a large, nondescript tangle of seaweed and driftwood that had washed ashore.
Settling in my chair to watch the sunrise my eyes kept coming back to that tangle of debris. I couldn't get it out of my mind. The more I stared at it, the more I began to imagine that it was a creature of some kind. That was nonsense of course, but I couldn't shake the thought. Finally, more out of exasperation than anything, I grabbed my camera and walked shoeless through the cool grass and onto the beach.
The beach was still deserted and as I trudged across the sand toward the debris I realized that it was indeed a creature---a five foot shark washed ashore by the tide.
He was a magnificent creature and also, a very dead one. That much was clear. Yet, I found myself circling him cautiously, afraid to touch him for fear he would awake and attack . Gathering my courage, I bent over and quickly saw the cause of his demise. A bright yellow insulated wire protruded from his belly. I pulled on it gently but it would not budge. A fishing line, I decided---cut and left for the creature to die.
It was getting lighter and I realized that this moment of solitude would not last much longer---and I began snapping pictures. The final shot put it all in perspective. At my feet lay a symbol of death, one of God's creatures whose life is over. In front of me, was the promise of life, a bright new day. And between the two, the calm, imperturbable mother of us all ---the sea.
For a moment I stood over the shark in respectful silence, almost as if I were at a burial service. Then I heard the sound of approaching footsteps; a neighbor with camera in hand---and the spell was broken.
Turning, I returned to the beach stairway with a spring in my step---eager to learn what joys this bright new day would bring.
10:00 AM
I looked over the balcony and the shark was gone. Did he ever exist? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. Will someone in some future life ask the same about me? Perhaps yes, perhaps no.
