-- Citizens of the Sea --

John Herlihy

As I sat on the shore witnessing nature’s plenitude,

A sense of throbbing life finally entered my solitude.

Against the wind and wave, the seagulls frolic and play,

Spirits that belong to air and fly as feathery sea spray.

From whence these airy sea nymphs come, nobody knows;

From some remote distance, they appear playfully in droves.

These citizens of the sea and air have come into their own;

The vast sea but their playground, thru the air they roam.

We might well draw wisdom from their efforts to nourish,

As they swoop into the sea surface with no thought to perish.

There they are mirrored within the glass of sea as spirits of air;

Against the might of the sea, they fly imperiously without care.

When they land on the water, they swim effortlessly to the crest.

Whoever taught them to float with ease as though taking rest?

The airy flutterings of birds brush the water surface like a feather,

Indifferent to the needs of nature’s whims for harsher weather.

They dare to chase down a wave only to be swept off their feet;

Then return to another impending surge looking every bit fleet.

We never do find their memorial across vast stretches of land,

Only their multitudinous little tracks running across the sand.

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(c) John Herlihy 7 April 2020