How to live by the sea

Be like the terns crouched on the shore.
Still under an empty sky.

Stake your life on warnings.
The gulls will circle, shrieking, before rain.

Keep one craft at hand.
A kayak out back among nasturtiums.

Walk lightly.
The grey heron will haunt your letterbox.

Cultivate patience.
The orca may pass by here again.

Settle for disorder.
All summer you will swim before you wake.