Sea Lions

God works in mysterious ways---so they say (why?).

As a backland dweller far from the ocean, nestled

in the rolling sea-swells of these verdant troll-hills

so far inland as I am, I marvel at the bustling sea life

found on the elsewhere coasts, scabrous starfish

and amoebic jellyfish, skeletal red crabs and lobsters,

sleek-furred fat seals and sea lions stretched out

languorously on the grey sands and dark rocks,

herds of parents, children, and grandparents

sunning themselves serenely without even troubling

over what they’ll have for dinner---so close to you,

the observer, intrepid beach-goer, that you could

almost touch them. You want to touch them,

to stroke their guileless silken puppy-heads along

their scalps, above the dark tide-pools of their eyes

and their bristled whiskers. But they are wild animals

after all, and they may bite. You don’t pet them,

and you keep your fingers as a result.

I’m a silly person, and want to be friends with all of

mankind, every man and woman who walks

the misshapen crags of this planet’s surface.

But that’s unreasonable, and they should be left alone.

if you don’t pet them, you’ll keep all your fingers.

Author's Note

Published by Apricity Magazine, march 2024
https://apricitymagazine.com/portfolio/sea-lions/