earth note 641

i know you've walked 1500 miles

to find this empty bench

i can tell from your footprints

they have that worn look to them

the tide goes low a couple times a day

the sea folds out into a flat gleam

you told me once that everything

has a purpose and yours is to heal

there are pelicans that move their gullet

like they're swallowing a fish

but i'm not so sure that they're not just faking it

or showing off for other pelicans sometimes

if you stand in one place for too long

the sand will burn an image

on the bottom of your feet

so you need to keep walking

there are seas and empty benches everywhere

once you know your purpose

--- e b bortz

(published in Jawbone, Kent Ohio, May 4, 2019)