The beach is crowded with people, fully covered, women veiled. The waves are too strong to go in. The sky is indeterminate, a blinding bright grey, and an atmosphere of intense social engagement. Carefully planned outfits for selfies with rocks. Children playing with plastic. Men feeling useless. Women squinting at tiny mirrors, applying lipcolor. For whom? For the water? Ocean, though present, seems very far away. A symbol, abstracted from itself, in a sullen sort of mood.
