I walk round to the headland beyond the harbour looking for solace.
And what do I find?
A carpet of Lady’s Mantle in a backlit yellow haze;
a red deer hind and bambi-spotted calf stepping quietly behind me;
a gannet circling over the spread blue waters in front – the sudden dive!;
a heron flapping low and level across the loch;
the cries of oystercatchers, terns, hoodies, gulls;
the blue humps of Harris on the horizon;
and in the north-west, the sun, pale gold, shining.
Is it enough?
Or is it too much to countenance?
I wrote once that oceans begin in our hearts.
I make my way tentatively towards the shore.
Lochinver, Assynt, Scotland
5th July 2025