Nurse Shark
For a minute yesterday I really wanted to be a shark. I awoke early and slipped down to the bay for my morning swim before anyone else was up. On the way to the rocky point I ran into a huge swarm of those silver minnows again. I sank into their midst and enjoyed watching the sparkling swirl that they created and the hole I left in the swarm when I swam off before they closed ranks behind me. After swimming briskly back to where I had started I took a lazy trip along the reef…and that’s when I saw him…
There was a 4ft nurse shark coming toward me over the top of the reef! Cruising smoothly above the coral. He was confident in his singularity and almost dare I say…cocky as he made his way toward me. I have to admit I was impressed and I was not the only one. A lot of the other smaller fish took notice too. I think the parrot fish might have even stopped munching the coral because it sure got quiet. He swam right up to me, his beady yellow eyes regarding me with what looked like a dismissive air then turned his back on me! The tip of his tail was about a foot from my hand.
Apparently there was something more interesting to eat in the rocks because he wedged his head in a crevice and started to root around. Since he was paying me no mind I took this opportunity to touch his tail. He let me get away with it so taking this as assent I touched it again, feeling his firm rough skin. It was about that time that he suddenly jammed his head into the rock with a thud. I guess his breakfast was being stubborn and he had to convince it to come out. Well it worked because he got what ever he came for and then started to swim away with not so much as even a ‘have a good day” to me! Despite his arrogance, I was sorry to see him go and am ashamed to admit that I gave chase as he lit out over the coral bed. My swimming skills were obviously no match for his. I just stared in awe as he faded off…into the blue haze, leaving me with only the memory of his awesome presence.
(first posted 7.3.09)
