Gulls are glanced from the lift of
Of cliffing air
And left
Loitering in the descending drift,
Or tilt gradient and go
Down steep invisible clefts in the grain
Of air, blading against the blow,
Back-flip, wisp
Over the foam-galled green
Building seas
from Gulls Aloft by Ted Hughes
We came across this couple feeding the gulls (and a few stray pigeons) on the beach at Nice when we were there on holiday one February. The birds were so graceful, swooping low and catching the food before it fell to the ground, then effortlessly soaring up again.
Thank you for reminding me to pick up Ted Hughes. It’s been too long – I loved the verse, I love the picture, I love your words of explanation.