a pair of bald eagles 

soaring over the waters

flycatchers flitting

piliated calling

turkey vultures riding 

the wind currents.

a small ship, 

chugs towards the bay

hoisting halyards, cranking winches, chipping hammer

i swung in decades past ringing in my ears

i wonder who this ship’s deck apes are as

i follow her in my imagination down the Chesapeake 

and out into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

a sailboat beats to windward, dingy in tow.

and i, like the planet that sustains my life, 

am in the dark about half the time. yet

i learn from earth to stay centered 

and turn towards the light. 

and so, with the dogwoods, 

i bloom in season.

LRT April 2022