After The Sea

Artist’s Statement: D J Wilson, LRPS

This image captures a quiet echo of beach life — a tangle of towels, flip-flops, and water bottles left behind in warm sand, marking the pause between saltwater immersion and return to routine.

Taken at Grotto Beach, Hermanus, the scene speaks to the gentle rhythm of summer afternoons: the temporary imprint of presence, washed over by light and tide alike. It is both an ending and a trace — the moment after the sea.

The sea has slipped back to the deep,

leaving towels curled in sandy sleep,

and flip-flops tossed like sea-worn shells.

Water bottles half-drunk, cool and blue,

sweaters sag with salt-sweet dew —

the breeze tells stories no one hears.

A moment paused in golden light,

marked by footprints soft and slight.

After the sea, what lingers is ours.