*purrumbles deeply and reads again*

Thank you for sharing your words, my friend... they are good

Thank you.

It's been awhile since I wrote any poetry... about five years, I think, and that one was three lines long. But I had a rock in my shoe so I sat down to take it out and looked up as a gull was fighting hard to climb a thermal in some stormy weather until it finally got high enough to get above a wind layer and just stretched out it's wings and soared. The poem started forming in my head then. Seagulls are really amazing creatures.

You wouldn't say that if you'd met some of the gulls I've met. Stealing ice-creams out of your hand - or the fish from your fish-and-chip supper. I suspect you'd be quite ready to get out the flak cannons and high-velocity rifles.

But yes. That apart, they are amazing.

That's awesome!

But no, I've never met gulls like that. On Capitol Hill, it's the squirrels that fill that niche... they'll climb up on the bench next to you and try to grab part of your sandwich while you're eating it. Still love the little fuzzballs, though.

It's not awesome when it's your fish, or your ice-cream. Greedy --- things.

And I was about to say, I thought it was taxmen and government men who climbed up beside you and tried to steal your dinner? Why do I now have the mental image of squirrels in suits?... o_O

Well, it's not my fish or ice-ream, now is it?

I'm not much of one for men's formal wear myself, but Squirrels generally look awesome in anything, I think. And I cannot speak for all government men, of course, but I have never stolen anyone's dinner.

This poem touched my heart, but what really sealed it was the final line outside of the poem - I could not agree more.

As for seagulls themselves, I know how annoying a lot of people see them as, but I agree that they are quite amazing creatures - heck, even their thieving skills just shows how resourceful and opportunistic they are. They fit in well, perhaps too well for some people, with modern day and the environments they find themselves in.

Thank you for sharing this poem. :)

Thank you.

I do consider the three lines at the end to be part of the poem, actually, a kind of coda I guess. I did originally conceive of them as an FA or DA style description outside of the poem itself, but by the time I wrote the poem down, they had pretty much enmeshed themselves.

Not sure why our seagulls are well-behaved in DC. Do they get aggressive in other parts of the US?

Alas, it's getting too cold to go outside as long now, but I did see some more amazing stuff from them: some nice spins and other aerobatics, including an elaborate chase between two gulls. The lead gull kept swooping down to the water level and then back up without touching it again and again with the other following. Finally, the first gull dropped something down on the pavement and the other gull went after it while the first gull settled back into the reflecting pond. Once the second gull was done with it, I went to see what it was... turned out to be a AA battery, quite well-pecked at. Don't know if the second gull was trying to steal it or if it was some gift or bonding ritual... I don't know much about gulls, but they've started to fascinate me.

Did they think it was a shell or do they just like shinies, I wonder?

I also wonder what makes them all start take to the air in a flock every so often after they've each been minding their own business. They're all kinda sitting or flying a little and then two launch into the air and start flying and then the entire flock starts flying in formation with them. Then they settle back down into their pool doing their own thing again after awhile. What's up with that?