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"Reststop"
by
Susan Lilinoe Hema Otaguro


 

Indenting the pitted surface of a rocky abode, wayward cavities cavort through a myriad of flamboyant direction.  Like the burrows of a sheltering anthill, the pocketed crevices invite the Pipipi to stop and rest in the safety of its hollowed-out recesses.  Taking 15-20 years to bore, these remarkable crevices in basaltic rock were grounded down by the tiny, sharp teeth of sea urchins eating their way through algae and seaweed. Seen just above the water line, the eye is drawn to the communal activity of other living tenants having established buyer's rights to living quarters just as tenants in a community of condominiums.  Understanding how the eye-appealing depressions were formed, I wonder how many sea urchins it took to create this ecological beauty?

 


 

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