Sunday, April 12, 2009

in which the fish swims through easter





At Easter the light is more oblique and secretive,
The sea having recently had a tantrum, has thrown up vast reams of ocean forest.
This fish swims deep among it and looks up to the light.
Thinking.



Out here each return to the air is a resurrection of sorts.
Close to the silver billow of the surface, darting light:
the garfish pass with not a word. This fish, before she can stop herself, says
happy easter, garfish,
knowing they will of course pretend to know what easter is, when they don't.
All of them turn to stare, their silver, flutelike snouts all briefly stilled . Collectively they say:

Easter. yes, Easter.
WE care not for easter,


and all rush off, haughty and gleaming and thin, leaving the fish to try and remember NOT
to engage with the garfish, so irritating they are.
But what can she do?
She loves them, despite their shallowness, their mass stupidity.

The fish slips back into the day,
for there are lighthouses to look at.




banksias to draw,
love to think about,





aging parents to give an airing to,
and the great huge headland of Barrenjoey to draw also.

The fish turns for a minute, and sees a girl in a yellow dress, leaning on that rail, looking out to sea.
Her hair is blowing in her eyes, but she is watching.

The light shifts then, and she is gone.




But look!
Here is an easter cake.
Made by the fish.





And what do you know?
it is all
gone
now.




16 comments:

Mary said...

Oh those beautiful drawings...

I cannot wait to see you what you do with my mountains..

x

M said...

Your drawings are indeed beautiful.

Happy Easter!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post. I only heard of garfish recently, upon moving south. The word made me take note instantly, as "gar" means "spear" in Old English. Perhaps the garfish care not for Easter or other things because they are warriors, focused on making war?

Happy Easter.

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

Gorgeous as usual. What an amazing camera you must have, too.

Leenie said...

Fish: I truly enjoy your posts. Although I live hundreds of miles from a coast, I love the sea. I have seen it from the bottom up and swam with the tropical butterflies. Do you have a waterproof camera? The first shot was superb. Liked the sketches too.

molly said...

No matter what day of the year it is the Fish goes swimming. Not so surprising, really, as that is what fish do, but this lazy landlubber admires your determination and your consistency. Wish I could be thusly motivated to do the things I want to do, know I should do, daily, but, regularly skip....Such a lovely cake! Who knew fish were so talented!

Anonymous said...

I love the cake, and swear there are a few crumbs of that on my beach too. Happy Easter, Fifi.

genevieve said...

Not an amazing camera, PC, an amazing photographer.
Happy Easter, fifi, and once again, thank you for refreshing our souls. Will you let me know if you ever make prints of those banksias please?

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

Genevieve, of course -- I was taking that for granted. But it must be a very sturdy clever camera as well!

Eleanor said...

Happy Easter! Happy swimming! Happy cake eating!

I'm also putting my hand up for a banksia print if and when it becomes available.

Anonymous said...

Happy Easter, lovely Fifi!

I saw so many Banksia trees in flower on the drive back down. So wonderful. I want to grow one at home. Well not just one - an avenue of them.

Will it be warm enough to swim in the sea when we visit you?

Pam said...

Happy Easter, Fififish. Cakes as well as drawings. Supertalented!

fingers said...

Fifi, I know a bit about fish and they are not philosophers.
If they think at all it's usually stuff like:
'Hey nice castle.'
'Oooh, new castle'
'Check out the castle.'
'Wow, new castle.'
'Hey, it's a castle...'

fifi said...

Mary: it will be big, it will be epic. I am counting the sleeps.

Thanks M, same to you,

Saffronlie :-)
I won't attempt to involve the garfish in any of that, because they will most likely claim to already know. They are such liars.

Hello Leenie from far away!


Oh yes Molly, I did manage not to ruin the cake. The day before I burnt Olive oil and wrecked the pan. Bt yes, every day, there is swimming. It's religion.

Rhubabrb, yes, I am sure there was too.

Pav and Genevieve, thank you to both of you. I am sure the pictures are mostly the result of the sturdy but small Olympus 770 which I cart around in all elements.


Eleanor, you are sure to be part of my banksia Fetish when it takes on a material form....



hey RB,
it will certainly be warm enough.
I hope you do grow baksias back home: they might just LOVE snow, who would know?


Thank you Isabelle. It were just the ONE cake, mind

aha Fingers, but garfish don't like to admit to not knowing, because they are so arrogant and silly.

Red Hen (dette) said...

I just typed a comment ending it with I am as silly as a garfish at times and it seems I truely am as somehow I managed not to post it! Anyway it went something like this as I was scrolling along reading your post I got a waft of frangipanni fragrance just as I was revealing the frangipanni photo... Momentarily I was tricked thinking wow the brain can be very suggestive and you can't smell a picture???Can You!?! (hence being as silly as a garfish!) But what had happened was that chicky babe walked behind me wearing the new frangipanni body spray she had been given for easter. Twicw now I have wondered if i should reveal just how silly I can be! but i will anyway.

Unknown said...

Happy Eatser, the cake looks yummy!
I love all of your drawings.