Sea Mist - Diane Scantlebury

You creep up
Silently towards us,
Your cold, clammy dampness
Engulfing us
In a transparent cloud of mist,
You appear noiselessly,
Like smoke
Without a fire,
Wrapping your moist cloak
About us,
You obscure the sky
In an eerie white out,
And the naked trees
Stand as silhouettes
Against you,
Your odourless, tasteless breath
Caresses and wets our faces,
Makes our hair go limp,
You bring all that flies
To a standstill,
Then
Almost as quietly as you came,
You retreat and disappear
And life resumes.

Diane Scantlebury