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Five stories above the Gulf beach
Shakespeare’s dictum that all the world’s a stage
applies to those players on view below
sauntering, running, or strutting their hard-won, sweat-glistened bodies.
A great blue heron, oblivious to this parade of human vanity,
follows closely the lone angler’s movements,
waiting for the line to jerk, waiting for her shift in focus,
signaling a catch. The bird, more vigilant
than the woman, can’t quite manage a stealth move.
The fish is tossed in a bucket, the lid snapped shut. The heron can
stand there all day, on one leg and then the other,
beggary shining from its eyes. The angler won’t bite.
Two bottlenose dolphins, one a baby,
are also fishing but know enough to steer clear of rod and line.
They delight the amblers who stop to watch them idly float
perilously close to shore, then dart away. Their smooth backs
arch and gleam. If they were bipeds they’d be kicking sand.
© by CJ Muchhala.
Used with the author's permission.
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CJ Muchhala lives in Shorewood,Wisconsin near Lake Michigan, but maintains a getaway on the Wisconsin River. Her poetry, fiction, and children's stories have been published in a variety of online and print journals, anthologies, and art/poetry exhibits. When she's not writing, CJ says she enjoys gardening "using the 'benign neglect theory," and baking bread "following the 5-minute method."
 
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barbsteff:
Delightful recall of beachy details.
Posted 02/27/2020 05:55 PM
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finney@charter.net:
My favorite phrase...?beggary shining from its eyes.? On this chill windy day in February in NC, CJ gives us a few moments in the summer sun.
Posted 02/27/2020 08:34 AM
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