The Flaneur tunneled out to Alameda for a Christmas Day peaceful and mild
Coots aplenty congregate on the expansive lawns
yet another splendid day showing signs of drought
I brought a Yuletide picnic of roast chicken & yams, olives, triscuits,
and most delightful of all a large bottle of Santa's Little Helper imperial stout
The Bay was as calm as the sea at Cadaques
the water's membrane was like a silky rug
A lonesome conga player iterated at the marina
when he stopped the silence was all-encompassing
To the East a father and son with an electric wand
searched for precious metal in the sand
And in among the wild reeds a little barefoot girl
her purpose as instinctual as the birds overhead
She performed a ritual dance with the dry reeds
in front of an immensity with no horizon
For a moment the girl, the reeds, and the immensity
comprised the whole world
She selected just the right reeds with great care
and then she disappeared again
Running down the beach with her reeds
as industrious as any creature building a nest
Curiosity naturally prevailed
I ventured in toward the other side of the reeds
There stood an elegant teepee
or was it an abstract Christmas tree?
The sculptress herself cast a geometric figure
seemed happy I was there to see her work
A deep peace descended on all of us
as we went our separate ways in the silence
This was of course her Christmas celebration and blessing
and I carry it on here in transit to you
Afterwards things turned chiaroscuro
and the coots took shelter in the shadows
Across from the Coast Guard recruiting station
I waited for a bus alone with the Evening Star
25 December 2013
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