breathe
at the end of america
facing east and west
play with rocks
ancient sediment
crystal layer hinting at possibility
consider
be grateful
leave it there
smooth stone
like superior
like michigan
like little diamond
consider painting some redundant word
or bringing it home to thumb-rub
instead
skip it across smooth after-wave
watch it drop
watch cormorants dive...pop up elsewhere
watch sandpiper dance with each wave
and rush to find a prize
the stone you'll keep though
is full of cozy hiding spaces
maybe you'll light incense and balance the stick in one of those pockets
watch it smoke
remember the surfers in their seal-black wetsuits
the sailboat
misty catalina
japanese roofline perched on the cliff
peligro falling rocks
or maybe you'll remember the sleek
mahogany short-haired pointer
so agile, so full of curiosity
one year old energy
leaping running investigating
and her owner
the man with the german accent
and the remote control
that shocked her when she came to sniff you
you wanted to pet her
but she was off again
and--after he asked whether
you lived/belonged here--
he apologized
for interrupting your meditation
as though
rocks and birds and boats
surfers and waves and rich people's
houses and crystals and islands
the sun on my face
salt air in my lungs
theft of a clam's cave
and knowing the tide is going out
on this side of the ring of fire
could possibly
be
interrupted