Haibun - Bayberries

Bayberries

Climbing the bayberry cliff, Indian
clay almost crumbles beneath my bare
feet. Breathlessly, I hoist myself by
clutching the sand dunes. Above the
sea waves, I gather bayberries with my
hands.

Boiling the berries, I let them cool until
the wax hardens from dusk to dawn. Then,
from dawn to dusk, I warm the wax until it
softens. I pour it into wick-set molds.

star-shaped --
the scent of the beach
in melted wax