The gods of the sea asserted themselves today. It’s not like they were absent. They are always a part of the ocean. It’s just that today they made themselves known.

For the past few days, the ocean has met the shore with gentle rollers licking the sand. The water was a gray blue at the edge and striped green blue and then medium blue. The waves broke late, and without fanfare. It was subdued, but, the boss is still the boss.

Today, the breeze was stiff and from the north. It wasn’t windy. Hats were safe on heads, but blankets and the bodies on them were quickly covered with a light layer of sand. If there was no body on a towel, it would fold upon itself. Only once and then it would be heavy enough to stay put.

The soundtrack volume went from 3 to 7 with the percussive waves falling farther and with more frequency. Where the waves were only breaking at the shore, today, they were successive lines of crashing hills as far as you could see. Sometimes, a wave cresting north-south would meet up with a wave cresting south-north. The resulting criss crossing swirled and left a creamy foam reminiscent of  a well-poured Guinness.

On the waves, out halfway to the horizon, I saw a five foot swell speeding to the coastline. As I squinted I saw the outline of Poseidon riding the crest that was actually six white seahorses pulling his giant shell sleigh. There were dolphins, or were those mermaids(?), breaching the water in front of him and along the sides as his emissaries. The clamshell turned into a pair of majestic sea turtles–siblings for sure and as old as the sea–with the god’s feet planted firmly in the center of their shells.

The trident carried by Poseidon shone bright in the sun.  The glint from the sun blinded me for a minute. I had to close my eyes. When I opened them, the billowing white wave had dissipated and I lost the god. But I know he was there.