"Lounging at Laguna Beach"

(Composed amidst the fog
of October 18, 2009).

Lounging at Laguna Beach,
A lovely, foggy autumn day,
The mist floated in the air,
The gentle crashing of the rolling wave.

I was enjoying the peaceful beauty of the scene,
Delighting in the refreshing sea breeze,
When a flock of birds descended,
Surrounding me as I huddled on my towel.

Squawking and fighting over a piece of trash,
They nipped at a moldy slice of bread.
Nervously I glanced around.
They all seemed to be staring at me.

'I hate sea gulls, ugly diseased creatures.
What if they start pecking me?
So this is what Hitchcock meant;
And I was having such a nice time!'

Up the shore a little girl came running,
Maybe two or three years old,
Stumbling through the moist sand
In her little blue wetsuit with braided hair.

Joyfully she hobbled toward the birds.
They skipped and hopped ahead,
Then in one big rush, away they flew--
A thin white streak in the grey sky.