Diary

It is hard to feel brave enough when

     just below the water's surface
     two fur seals weave past each other
     their slick bodies heaving up into the sunlight
     the ocean like a dirty jewel melted
     and poured beneath them

     and a rabbit who has learned to fear
     the shadow of the hawk
     and not the hawk
     darts toward a bush covered in tart red berries
     and disappears underneath

     and thousands of caribou plod head-down into the mist
     through grasses that extend to the end of the earth

     and one bear ventures out into a field of snow alone
     heavy paws damp and crusted with ice
     and pauses for a moment, his hot breath the only sound
     in a forest without birds

— 2016