Big noises drift and blend and bend
Along the big-bosomed beach afternoon
Pelicans snag the wind and troop off
Into the indifferent sky

The snag-tailed grackles call
“Sweet pea! Sweet Pea!”
Or, if Russian,
“A drink! Come have a drink!”

And then the people, in solar gratitude
Lined up, eyes closed, skin offered
Without reservation
To some unseen eternity

Gods for the moment