Désir de la mer

Michèle Cooke

The sky is white mist, the sea rippling with white spray. The horizon must be there, but you can’t see it. You can’t see it, yet you know it’s there.

A red sign perched on a rusty pole says, in big white letters:

DO NOT SWIM ON OR NEAR THE ROCKS

You can’t see the rocks, but now you know they're there. I love that wobbly, warm-hearted sign.

The essential is invisible to the eye. L’essentiel ne se voit qu’avec le cœur.* The horizon is always where you are not.

* Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupéry