Low Tide

by Tom Peters

September 2021

walking in wet sand

as full moon pulls

from the other side

pulling a low, low tide

a wide wet path of intrigue

sea grass in embracing twirls

kelp imitating birds

Shells free from their host

gulls staring out to sea

my phone steals all of it

now a trail, an odd trail

tiny and zipperish

starting near a footprint

wandering in senseless patterns

a little south, then west

slanting towards the sea

curving with precision

an occasional tight loop to loop

turning slightly east then back south

stretching twenty some feet or more

on the other end

a bee

crawling and crawling

crawling at a steady pace

crawling instead of dying

the surfers are gone

lovers sit on my favorite bench

young girls with loud giggles

skip & run in and out

posing for each other

runners ignoring all

masked older couple

smile with their eyes

gulls staring out to sea