Dunes

I

Too many people climbed a high sand dune between Truro and Provincetown —so the Park Service prohibited walking on the dune. I climbed to the top before it was proscribed. It was my first time. When you grow up in the Bronx the closest you get to sand is a long subway ride to Coney Island or a car ride to Jones Beach. My first blistering sunburn was at Jones Beach. The slope of the Provincetown dune created the illusion of scaling a formidable hill. My sneakers filled with sand as my feet sank— sending small avalanches rolling down the slope.A strong wind left sand arms reaching down to the hem of the dune.

II
To find the world’s tallest sand dunes head to the world’s oldest desert—Namib Desert in Namibia. The desert stretches over 1200 miles.

III
I watched my footprints disappear. I walked a few paces and then turned around and realized that everything about my recent steps was obliterated. It was as if my corporeal body exerted a weightless presence on the dune. Walking became trudging and my legs gained weight. The Oregon dunes were heavier and more capricious than the dunes I encountered in the Northeast. Judging how high or far one undulating dune was from another jarred reality. When my friend walked ahead I waited until she reached the crest of a dune to gain a perspective of height and distance. Only by keeping the ocean on our right and not following the allure of the next mound were we able to avoid the siren call of the dunes. On the way back we clung to the view of the ocean —always aware of our desire to reach the dunes in the distance.

IV
The sand mounds of the world conceal footprints. The sand shifts, alters shapes, creates depressions that swallow seekers or create avalanches of sand particles when disturbed.

V

“A medieval mosque's minaret sticks out from a sand dune on the Egyptian Mediterranean coast near the coastal town of Al Burullus . The minaret that was discovered by an Egyptian archaeological team in 1998 is believed to belong to a mosque, which was built in the 9th century and dedicated to a Moroccan holy man named Sidi Mohamed Al Kheshoey who settled in the area 1,300 years ago.”

IV

Some sand sings. I went to Singing Beach in Manchester-By-the -Sea to hear the song. When I walked I heard nothing, but as soon as I scuffled, dragged my feet, I heard the sonorous tones.

Some sand dunes sing. When Marco Polo heard the low frequency hum he suspected evil spirits. Scientists identified thirty locations worldwide where sand dunes sing or moan and each has its own note. Imagine a recording of this music—a low drone of the earth’s voice.

VI
''In some places,'' Dr. Goldsack said, ''the noise booms like thunder when a sand dune starts to slide. In other places, the dunes sing or chirp. On Kauai, it barks. That's how Barking Sands Missile Range got its name.''

VII

They found that grains of the singing sand varied widely in composition, but all were heavily coated with a silicon compound called silica gel.

VIII

I think that I prefer spirits—elfin spirits humming— a choir of sand dunes.