06 May 2013

Goose barnacles and fate-makers

Goose barnacles seem born to be metaphors. They attach themselves before they are old enough to think (not that they are known for existentialism at even their most mature state) to a randomness of flotsam and in this case, the jetsam of an undersea volcano.

Yet unlike people who could pry themselves free from an opinion or loyalty with a bit of thought, goose barnacles have no choice. Once left high and dry, they die with their mouths agape.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It must have been a storm or something to do with the tides...the Small One and I found lots of barnacled-pumice on the beach on Sunday morning. When we find dying starfish or sea-urchins, we usually put them back in the ocean (futile) but this was more obviously futile, as pumice floats. Sorry, little barnacles!

Thoraiya

anna tambour said...

Lovely picture of you both 'rescuing' back to the sea. I think this was a helluva blow. Never seen so much pumice.