Mindful

Where I live sea and sand touch
In a way that is mindful of flora, wings and flesh.
As if pure sunlight is not enough to make
Sea fig-marigolds bloom across ripple marked dunes,
Even the muddy shoreline is florescent with subtle hints
Of moss, gull feathers, perch scales and footprints
That blossom kayaks into the bay.
A late afternoon rain journeyed over the bay and was gone.
Where a rainbow lit out across the horizon,
I saw two deer forage up a mossy embankment
Into thick underbrush.
Already a soft cry wafts off the bay
In response to the sun falling -
A sound similar to sunlight unfurling petals,
Or translucent wings in-flight.
Sparse dune grasses lean their slender shadows
Toward transient twilight, as a soft, onshore wind
Prepares for sleep.

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Biography

Anthony Wayne Langston studied poetry at CSU Fresno in the early 70's and had notable poets Philip Levine, Peter Everwine and Charles Hanzlicek as professors. Currently residing on the Central Coast of California with his wife and three daughters, A.W. Langston works for the San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services as a Program Review Specialist when he isn't writing poetry. "Poetry is a sounding board for me.... It allows a creative outlet of my observations of the world around us and the intuitive nature all living things share."