An ode to my childhood home, Adak, Alaska.

I stand alone
On a windswept cliff
Overlooking an Aleutian bay,
Breathing in the scents
Of cold, fresh air and
Fragrant brine
As my eyes feast
In awestruck wonder.
I see before me
An open harbor
Of glass smooth water,
Ringed by nature's drama--
Untouched, unspoiled--
With jagged, young mountains
Still laced with winter snow
And sandy beaches framed
By stalwart tundra.
I smile as I spy
Puffins bobbing jauntily
In colorful brigades
Amid kelp beds and
Gentle ripples,
Keeping company with
Curious sea otters and
Arctic terns,
While beyond the sentinel rocks
Near shore
A pod of orcas flash,
Black and white,
As they play leisurely
Amongst themselves.
In the distance I watch
Great Sitkin sleeping fitfully,
It's icy, volcanic slopes
Wreathed in steam and clouds,
And mystery;
Then from above the cries
Of ravens and eagles
Welcome me back.
For I have returned
And I am home.

Kuluk: pronounced "koo-lock"

c. 1995 
Image by skeeze from Pixabay