The Gulls Glide By

Written after watching a glacier calf. (break off a big chunk)

The gulls glide by, turning, dipping, watching,

The glacier moves and groans
A crack, a second crack, a louder groan
The ice begins to split and shatter
Sound rushes down the valley

The gulls glide by, turning, dipping, watching.

The icy groan becomes a roar
The valley shakes. The roar begins to echo.
A mountain of ice is moving now,
Sliding down the face of it’s mother

The gulls glide by, turning, dipping, watching

The roaring echoes batter at the ears
Then ice and water meet and mate.
The sound is both liquid and rock
Roaring and echoing across the valley

The gulls glide by, turning, dipping, watching.

The water seems to rise, to kiss the glacier
The sounds surround the ship and sea
Then slowly fade. The ship begins to pitch and yaw
Then quiet once again in all the world.

The gulls glide by, turning, dipping, watching.