Anastasia Beach December 3, 2021

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the perfect beach

This is the perfect beach to walk at night

Level sand smooth and firm but soft enough 

To absorb the impact of my heels and toes

Printing a trail the tide will soon erase.

We walk into the darkness of a national park 

Where no light pollution sources blind us

Excepting a commercial trawler not far offshore 

And the sky fills with stars we seldom see

 

The rhythm of the waves sounds beside us

With no human machine noises intruding

Immersing us in the ocean of space out there

Listening to the background whisper of the universe

 

If you can look into the unfathomable deep distance

Taking the time for your eyes to open wide

Night after night observing how everything moves

That is a vision our ancestors knew by heart

Now the blinking lights of planes high overhead 

Attract attention to send a warning to keep clear

As they crisscross the otherwise serene celestial drapery

Wrapping our planet with carbon dioxide contrails 

This human activity is a distraction for me 

Seeking to expand my limited astronomy knowledge 

Finding Saturn at the midpoint between Jupiter and Venus 

And Orion appearing on the winter horizon 

To notice and realize the way it makes sense 

The week aligns us with the phases of the moon

Though the origin of the units of time in the calendar

May be lost on those who cannot see the stars

Matanzas Inlet December 2, 2021

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Crescent Beach Sunrise December 2, 2021

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