A Poem: The Pelican

I was surprised by the envy I felt

that day at the ocean.

Not envy of the laughter and fun I witnessed going on all around me.

Not envy of the skinny belly I have long since lost.

Not envy of the youthful, magical days of being adolescent.

I envied The Pelican.

His long glide

over the turning

white-capped waves

Hooked me.

His quiet flight,

the focus of his survival mission,

His wings outstretched

catching the lift from the breeze…

The ocean crashing on and on

fixed my attention all day.

Waves slamming against each other

loud and mysteriously silent.

I could See,

Smell,

Breathe.

There’s too much noise

like smog.

Too many humans

carrying too much chaos

in the palms of their hands,

in their souls.

Like metal scraping on metal

there’s too much racket

in our hands

on these screens,

in our heads.

Looking down

we ignore the waves.

we don’t notice The Pelican’s

Peaceful glide.

We settle into our loud lives

our loud habits,

our loud wastes of time.

My soul cranes its neck

and cries out for breath.

I want to be lost

far out at sea

nothing to pull me

from the calm,

from the mystery

and majesty…

Like the bird

gliding over the sea

held by silent air

over the ocean

alone—

No senseless chatter

yanking him into inconsequential

Nothingness.

Originally published on September 2, 2019