I am here, blessèd bird,
I am here at the edge of the land and the sea
to witness your strong, thick knees
carry you swiftly over the sand in search of food.

I see you, blessèd bird,
I see your sea-wet shadow
rocking to and fro with the ebb and the flow
in the trackless paths of the surf.

I hear, you blessèd bird,
I hear the plaint and the cry of your poetic bill
teach me how to shape and mould the wondrous
sound of the deep-soughing sea.

I feel you, blessèd bird,
I feel your ancient form on the sandy shores
of the ocean in the heaving searches
of my soul, walking step-for-step tirelessly
in the effervescent footprints of the sun.

I pray you, blessèd bird,
I pray you remember the day you did
redeem my heart with light from the glance
of your beauteous eyes.

And you, blessèd bird, always shall I know being,
even through the longest dark of lightless night,
in the sun, standing on the shore, running over sand:
perfect have you made the path you have chosen.

What joy, blessèd bird, what joy to know
you are saving for eternity deep within your heart,
song-fed and feather-wrapped, the speech seed
of humanity from which all words are come!

O blessèd bird who o’ershine like the sun!
I embrace your sturdy legs, I kiss your strong,
thick knees, I cherish the knowledge you entrust
me with. On and on, you roll and roll, inside
worlds and worlds unfolding: I grow weak and weep
o’erwhelmed by love.

little big pine
on the Chumash littoral
july 2009

Little Big Pine: citizen, patriot, poet; may be reached at littlebigpine@gmail.com.