But for the gulls
Soaring with graceful ardour
Placid amidst the tumult
Inside my little cockpit of calm and warmth
I sing “Wassiye! Wassiye!”
With Habib Koite
A song of mirth and joy and love
Just as is the song within me
As I navigate existence
Across the expanse of being
And all its many storms
I find a beauty here
More remarkable
Than fading orbs
Or heated tones
Here in my solitude
Borne of a love
For icy blues
The Earth’s gentle sigh
As it closes its eyes
For the brief oblivion of slumber
He waits
In silent patience
For orders
From the terrace
While a surreptitious lens
Captures his composure
The clouds did not break
The sun did not shine
So I sat with the rain
Found the beauty in the greys
With the susurrus of droplets
Falling on the gentle sea
In the peace I found there
The spark of a mirthful hope
Perhaps it would be better
If the rain did never end
Below the deck
A roiling rift
Divides our world
Apart, we drift
But let us take
A moment, slow
To contemplate
Terrain below
I’m sure we’ll find
On valley floor
Our common ground
Then peace restored
Refreshed by the cool breeze
Chilling the fire
Of the hot sun
Atop the curvilinear delights
Of hillocks dappled
With grasses and pines
Where even infinity seems so close
I could touch it
Right there
As the curve of the Earth
Rounds the line
Where ocean meets the sky
