Walking the Tide Flats

When I'm walking through the tide flats I'm creating a space in my heart For gladness and gratitude I taste the tangy bite of the clam As the seagull gulps The wind against my hull feels briny Buffeted by the seas breath I follow warm currents Finding shells ravished by the years Similar to my own Crusted with barnacles, living Still as shelter to crabs or daughters High the song of the scavengers Mournful sound cannot dappen me My eyes gaze the horizon Follow the waves back to shore Hear also the silence Of islands distant blue bulk Hanging from beneath stormy clouds Pushed west by the offshore fan The sun warms my hands as i walk I see a heron glide with grace Past me to land among the gulls Crabbing must be good here Empty carcasses left behind in the sand Lead me to the edge that lines the earths shape To dip my toes in serenity's ample arms Brighter are the days thus spent The harmony of the sea Alive beside each step as I cruise home