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