Pale surface of a sea at minus tide.
It is large and its light is rich.
Picks out in bright jags
The crust-like foam which rims
Low-lapping crests easing shoreward.
Fur of the fl ank of a black-lipped Samoyed
Which is standing there quietly. The light is shaping
Itself to perfection onto the contours of
The strong legs of the girl who owns the dog.
Dabbles her toes in the thin ripplings
Of the backwash; head down, mind elsewhere. The light
Smooths itself with a fi nishing intensity
Over the fi gure of a crippled girl:
She is laughing politely while she shrinks