Beetlebung and Kettlehole--April Poems

The Beached Whale

they claim
it must have been the change in tides or
the food fish
forcing you wander off-course
but I suspect
the herd cast you off as herds punish their
precocious ones

or maybe the beachfront at Blind Creek Park and
sandy, wild shoreline
beckoned you to hike along
the Indian River Lagoon
for you envied the volunteer naturalists
walking about
in dramatic curiosity as if the beach
were a stage

thus, you received huge acclaim, larger than your size,
through their photos
and a eulogy on the front page of St.Lucie News
recognizing your vision
for it was not the length of your life but
the depth of it
and the ripples you caused along the way, drifting
away from the herd

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Prompt: April 7—hike