poetry notebook

Coupla loose Villionelles followed by some driftwood. Begun May 27, 2005, brought to this point today.

2 Views of 100 Seals
MacKerricher State Park
(for Bob Hughes and Margaret Fisher)

I.

Sea churn of seafoam shapes the eyes
kelp adrift in swells, tangled on a rock,
the wind a steady pressure on the face

sprays up phloisboious pre-natal rainbows
for what passes as solid cloud no direct sun into
the churn of seafoam. Shapes the eyes

shift through a polyform boil vaporize new seals breaking up
through water heads alert to shark and man, a smell on
the wind. A steady pressure, on the face

of it invisible force and motion, the wind… The source? Can say?
Harbor seals dive. Hard to track in water and
the churn of seafoam. Shapes the eyes

knew had matter fade into
new possibly material others.
The wind a steady pressure on the face

and barks, the many sounding voices of the seals,
stir up with waves, shape the ears as
the churn of seafoam shapes the eyes,
the wind a steady pressure on the face.

It’s not necessary to do anything,
to learn anything.
Being at peace is not a waste of time.

That’s just about it, eh?
Seals hauled out on rough rocks say
It’s not necessary to do anything.

Seaweed? Swell? Seal? Rock? Proteus?
Stretched out calm in dense skies,
being at peace is not a waste of time.

Once you’ve struggled nearly armless
up a steep rock to a ledge
It’s not necessary to do anything.

On land a cripple
in water prey
being at peace is not a waste of time

but rest your weary heart needs.
Warm in the cold air,
It’s not necessary to do anything.
Being at peace is not a waste of time.

II

It’s not necessary
to do anything.
Being
at peace
is not
a waste of time.

Water mammals.

That’s just about it, eh?
Poetry?
Ain’t work.
I mean,
their point
the seals.

From a boat?
On that rock over there—
People?
Is it?
It’s people.

Probably killing something.

Gone.

O! Harbor Seals!
Not only will I not harm you
but go to great lengths not
to harm you.

But if it were you or me?
Difficult choice.
In decadence, likely you.

What is that!?
Seal barking?
Where?
There—
No.
There!!!!
No.
There! !
Splashing. Barking.
Shark?
He went under.
Did a shark get him?
Wasn’t panicked.
Maybe not.
Still alive, under?

Hard to track in the water.

What a life:
On land a cripple,
In water, prey.

If human approaches pup
Pup shunned
as those among us
bearing unusual characteristics.

Elementary school
field trip
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
both generations.

Bored, pass on.

Morning seal songs seals sing when they waken.
Probably past noon by now.

Little biped, pink sweater
cups hands in front of mouth,
emits seagull sounds
at the sea.

Repeatedly.

Wale? Tidal island submerged.
Waves,
early risers,
late risers
sunrise or tide change
it pours.

Customs change, too,
must change.

“Well, I’m gonna lie here
on this rock
till the ocean lifts me up
and floats me away.
Wake me up then.”

Seal yawn.

3 people on horses ride by.
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah
Rentals?

2 pups swim tag.
Roll about your partner
in the swells
like cats on grass –
20 feet from shore,
pausing to eye me –
or otters.

Gunfire?
Bull slapping tail fins.

2 little killer bipeds
species homo sapiens
and their papa (?).

Pups watch them
from farther out.

Bipeds leave,
pups come closer to shore.

Turkey vulture
on sea rock?
100 feet away.
Another.
Bye, bye vultures.

Seal? Kelp? Swell?

No sun. Much light.
Wind. Overcast. Clouds.

Shivering a little.
This coffee’s good.

A duck!?
Green head bobbing on swells.
No, not duck…
A sea bird…
searching..

What’s it called?

…?

Seal floating from the top
of a rock
going under
the tide.