His swept-back wingspan, massive
Stretched against the sunset skies, I watched him,
Sailing in stealthy silence, aloft the still ocean plane.
Possessing a courage unmatched,
Magnificence unrivaled,
gliding in the wind as aimless as a vagrant.
So effortless
So ethereal,
Not a flutter on the wing.
As he commanded the open skies,
I wondered of his consciousness.
There he was, as beautiful as a bride,
dawdling over the water mirror.
and I envied his carefree passage-
and my eyes beheld his scapular,
purple against the dying sunlight.
His roving eyes alert,
mandibles cocked and untamed,
ready for the lunge.
And my soul beheld him
who lived in the moment
Embracing in all its fullness,
the life for which he was fashioned.
And for miles he traversed the promising pelagic blue,
feral, fearless, confidently self-possessed.
A picture was taken , his image imprinted in my mind’s eye.
And for many dark nights,
the epiphany of the foraging frigate remained
as clear as innocence to guide my way.
© Ivenia A. Benjamin