We stood on the beach
watching them circle and swoop
—the terns—
and then dive into the glassy waters
of the bay,
fishing for prey.
Behind us children dipped in pools
oblivious of the drama
out at sea
But it was for them, too,
that we watched,
humans in touch with the wild,
each in our own way.
They moved then
—the terns—
farther out as the fish
they followed must have moved
so we left them,
walked back up the beach
past the children and detached adults
to our own world far away.
greghill 