I Smiled a Little

The shore.

No one
was there.

One tree.

Beside it,
crows.

At first
nothing seemed to be happening.

Then
a wave struck the stones.

The tip of the brush
scraped the canvas.

One crow
shifted a little
on its branch.

Its claws
took a fresh grip on the wood.

Brush in hand,
I

listened.

When a wave came
my shoulders rose a little.

When it drew back
they came down again.

The crow
spread its wings once.

I thought it would fly,
but it settled on the branch again.

And so
half a day went by.

Putting away the paints,
I wrote the title.

A Lively Half-Day by the Sea.

I wrote it
and read it once more.

I smiled
a little.

Just then
a branch
swayed again.