WHITE PELICANS

Those white
     pelicans
in the grey bay


     sliding
by, sliding the neap
     backwards


looking back
     at the bay
now swelling


they are agents
     of time
floating phenomena


penetrating
     the future slick
as you please


staring down
     into the past
for fish, for


something deeper
     than what they
learned aeons ago


     sure it's
one thing to
     skim


the wrinkles
     at sunset
as you fill your gullet


     here it's
easy, just gaze
     into the past


with the prescience
     the perfect
knowledge


of where
    the fish
lurk


     now as you
pluck them
     as you please


like reading
     this, writing
this, don't think


     too hard
he'd say
     as if he knew


it would all
     work out,
you'll never be


     satisfied,
don't even
     try.