Pelican

We saw your intriguing flight across the bay,
flight horizontal, your form a bit bizarre.
Your beak dominant, you made your steady way,
until your pathway changed, a la Renoir.

Artistically impressive your quick drop,
from level flight, dive perpendicular.
In you own good time to surface you did pop,
with a fish in that big beak, or three or four.

Perched picturesquely on the dock's rough post,
you pleased us with a perfect calendar pose.
With gulls, sandpipers, conch shells, beach did boast,
still the pelican a special charm bestows.

The wide-winged high flung flight we esteemed,
the jackknife dive startling unfamiliar eyes,
among wild surf where foamy waves near creamed,
emerging with the marine creature you prized.

Back on our pond of limited perimeter,
you made your appearance unexpectedly
randomly dashing across, shore to shore ,
catching small water creatures you could see.

Startling the snowy egret's shoreline stand
an ocean regular, you were out of place.
The small gray heron up the bank climbs sand.
Back to the bay side now, your element of grace.