By and Bye (Alki)
by Sharmagne Leland-St. John

Long before Tom Hanks
flew a fish kite
along your thin spit of beach
with his movie son Jonah
you were already famous
to the native Dumwamish people.

For centuries we soaked up
The beachy vibes on Alki
(Me-Kwa-Mooks)

Padded along the damp
hard-packed sand.
Collected driftwood, seashells,
rainbow beach glass
in plastic pails.

"People watched"
while gazing out
at Bainbridge Island,
marvelled at the Majesty
of the Olympic Mountains,
the glacial wonder
of the Cascades.

Witnessed harbour porpoises
and their calves
frolicking in the surf

or glimpsed a pod of orcas
(ehkolie)
lying in wait to luncheon
on unwary sea-lion pups

while eagles patrolled
in a cerulean sky
ready to capture a varied menu
of sea-life prey in tide pools
at your salty ocean's edge.


 

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