Close Contact

By Janet Baird.

As I leaned over the railing watching
sleek bodies surf the bow wave
with casual joie de vivre,
one dolphin rolled onto her side
and caught my eye
in a moment of deep connection
between two planetary souls,
one more knowing than the other.

She seemed to be trying to
convey something universal
about going with the flow,
about acceptance, respect, enjoyment,
about exhilaration in the moment.
I recognised somehow familiar
stirrings of comprehension of
nature awaiting discovery.

She was still intently watching me.

In that moment I understood
that happiness lies in
the wonder of the here and now.

I felt a surge of gratitude towards my new friend
and resisted the urge to jump overboard.
She smiled, waved a flipper and was gone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Janet Baird has been a member of Geelong Writers since the early days at the Wintergarden. She is an artist, writer, grandmother, long standing student of U3A and retired secondary teacher. Janet recently published a book of poetry entitled Connecting: to this planet and Her inhabitants. Copies are available at The Book Bird.