“Strip search” is an image of Kilkee taken in the same burst as the image used by Stephen for Sand Castles. If you use this link to go back to “sand castles” you will see that a large proportion of the image comprises sand and sky. To create this image I have used Lightroom Software to remove significant “unwanted” parts of the image. This has created a long thin panoramic image that allows us to see: more of the interesting middle “strip” of the image!
What I particularly like about this image is that you see the whole of the bay and the whole of the semi-circular white line where the foam separates the water from the sand. Kilkee is a small coastal town in County Clare, Ireland.
NB: There is also a link on “Sand Castles” to return to “Strip Search”
Unless an advertising hoard –
aquamarine sea, tourist sky –
to focal strip, untrained, our eye.
One sees beyond the scenery,
to represent an image spied,
uncover shape as magnified.
Old Kepler’s orbits come to mind,
spin find beyond assumption’s wind,
new panorama of the space.
Flat cuboid stretch, ellipse contained,
outlined in white, horse ripple reined,
of sand, foam bubbles, salt, trapped air.
A glisten strand retreat to dry,
land fingers, two, haphazard growth,
drape weight, bruised mottle over mouth.
Yet beyond sight, the site unseen,
beneath the wave, above the mauve,
below the sand, behind the walls.
© Stephen Kingsnorth 2020