Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, Dania Beach, FL
take this day which
even if i showed you a photo
you wouldn’t believe
is 10am on tuesday
a lone sandpiper weaves through
rows of royal terns who look like
very serious bald men
all watch the water
they too understand morning
as luster in their bones
sargassum piles at the ocean’s lip
the biggest gull scans for silver fish
bits of tossed-out bait carried inland
we squint banner planes gulping overhead
i say we and mean it say we
but mean balanced eastwind
not enough to make us shiver
and the woman heeling sand
and the dolphin pod two miles out
the coconut husk the hardened coral
the couple smoking on a leopard print blanket
Brendan Walsh has lived and taught in South Korea, Laos, and South Florida. His work appears in Rattle, Glass Poetry, Indianapolis Review, American Literary Review, and other journals. He is the winner of America Magazine's 2020 Foley Poetry Prize, and the author of five books, including Go (Aldrich Press), Buddha vs. Bonobo (Sutra Press), and fort lauderdale (Grey Book Press). He’s online at www.brendanwalshpoetry.com.
Featured image of Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park courtesy ksblack99
