Breath of the Beast

Sand gives way under my feet

as I bend to the effort

of climbing a dune

on the sweetwater sea.

Water to the horizon heaves and swells

with the breath of the beast

as plumes of foam pound the shore

to polish stones and whittle drift

burnished and smooth as a baby’s sole.

With sand in my shoes

hardpack underfoot

I fill my pockets.

Clouds collide and multiply

as gulls ride their white-maned steeds

like surfers in wet suits.

Where water meets sky

the stars and the moon live in the depths

with the beast of legion

while on a rush of wing

eagle eats gull and feathers fly—

            ferocious predator

            rules the sky

while fox of the bayou

trots over the beachhead

and circles his den of hidden doors—

            intrepid hunter

rules the sedge

as Superior turns herself inside out

coughing up bones in a warming world

whittled to size

by the push and pull of the big shining sea.