So Many Things Are So Important
Sarah Bartlett

You and I walk down the beach,
and find a giant squid
tangled up like ribbon in the sand.
You and I circle the pools
and count stars and spines
and gather up loose skeletons.
The squid washes back away again.
You and I find a cave bigger than
a child’s story and hunch inside.
We bring rocks out to remember
the moment and put them with others
in a neat row on the window sill.
The sun goes down, its pink yolk
spreading across the water’s surface
until it is the surface. You and I
watch the pelicans travel north
then travel north to find them roosting
together despite their unbelievable size.