by Gretchen Sleicher
Lyrics
One day my friend and I went down
To the edge of the sea in the morningtime
The sun was out, the tide was in
As we chattered down the beach in the morningtime
Off went our clothes, in went our toes
In the cold cold waters of the Salish Sea
When all around our toes, a great wonder arose
What do you suppose we did see?
We saw not one, not ten, but a million and then some
Jelly babies floating in the sea
Transparent and round with a frill all around
What a thrill to see them
And a tiny net of nerves to help them swish and swim and swerve
How gracefully they danced in the sunlight
Then we went swimming in bubble tea
Oh, what a novelty
Jelly babies slipping past our bodies (with no sting)
What joy, how profound to feel nature so abound
In gelatinous sensuality
But by the time the tide went out
They were gone, and left no doubt
That this was a reunion, a miraculous communion
Between jellyfish and human and the sea
Our ancestry
Notes
True story of what happened on April 19, 2018, at Fort Worden beach in Port Townsend.
Harmony sung by Aimée Ringle, my partner in bubble-tea swimming and many musical adventures.