there was gesticulating (from Pacifica Vignettes) there was gesticulating, waves, sand, salt speckles. she caught notice of me and waved. and eventually they wandered off in the same direction, still conversing, leaving the dead, violated creature in the sand. the dog trialed off towards a grocery cart that was situated perpendicular to a sandy, black log which the three lifeless objects (the sea creature, the cart and the log) formed a neat little triangle. a mathematic sponge. and the lady trailed off. and the big, dead, sea fish was there. and me above thinking how I can capture all this. I was envisioning the whole time the three of them as miniatures dancing around the pages of a giant book. I saw the book. I looked towards the horizon. I wanted boats to interject. but then quickly dismissed that idea thinking it would be extraneous. I thought of graphic design elements and the whole scene as an abstract movie. A typographical composition hovered in a translucent aspect before my eyes. I noticed the man next to me had lost interest about half way through. but the sun, the waves, the footprints -- all in its grandeur and perfect spontaneity captivated me for a good 40 minutes. then I walked back home. michael j tino 2005 back