Birds

A pod of pelicans flew overhead.
I’d never seen more than one at a time,
So to see almost a dozen, with their offset heads,
Flying in a V—it was something to see.

I watched a tiny dot of white suddenly plunge
Into the ocean. I had thought there would be some
Slowing in the plunge, reverse rocket boosters,
Not a full-tilt descent like a rock.

The sandpipers, my favorites, with their plump bodies
And surprisingly long beaks, walk up the shore
Snapping food in the sand until a dog races up
And the bind soars away down the beach.

The white egret stood on the kelp in the bay,
Watching for a meal or maybe just enjoying the sun.
The bright western bluebirds dart everywhere,
Their flashes of blue brightening the landscape.

Ah, cardinals and indigo buntings,
I will be home soon.