Poem at Point Reyes

I remember the slow drive
Swerves, cuts to the side
The grass thinned to sand
Trees poked from the falling hills
The rift of sea air, the waves
That become us once we hear
The silent awe, the world
More often than not denies our ear
The one with silence beneath wind,
Somewhere between
Skittering plovers poking beaks
and whisker-sleek sea lions

That day the fog grew thick
At the entrance to the bay
I stepped into the sweep
Of gulls, hundreds of gulls and brown
Pelicans, edging here, there, flapping wings
A little nervous when I walked in
But casual the way gulls are, or can be
As long as you keep the pace slow enough
For peace, they’ll put up with you
I waved my arms, the wings
I wished for, made me one with them.
And the gulls, nodded, slipped aside
Or simply stared the way birds do
Wondering what a human
Thinks he or she is
On this strip that lets us breathe together
Without hindsight or an edge.
One of those days that make us realize
It’s all a big wash, a timeless dance
We all put up with, with a little care
A little patience, rain, shine or fog