I saw a dolphin swim up to our ship,
Not gray or blue but green,
Just beyond the sea lions lying on the rocky beds
That protect the docks from the wrath of the ocean.
But today it is still,
Our boat making ripples in the dark blue water,
Fresh air washing my face,
Waking me out of my morning slump.
“Over there! Over there! The dolphins are jumping!”
The ghost of my grandpa beside me,
Like back on his old boat,
His spirit still living
With the mud and the fish smell,
And the sunlight hitting the water and the swaying deck,
And the dark brown leathery pelicans
Flying low over the horizon.
Los Angeles, California
