There’s No Such Thing

there go the

childhood memories

goodbye to my plans

to be an old man

retired by the sea

forget joni

jonathan

anton

ornithologists do tell (actually

for a while have been saying)

there’s no such thing

as a seagull

that the term

(unlike tern)

is a made-up word

for a diverse collection

of coastal birds with

similar characteristics

foraging habits

gray-hooded

herring

laughing

and the like

such verve

they ask us to observe

to experience the world through

a more refined lens where

different wing spans

plumage beaks

even feet

bespeak

separate tribes

i refuse to subscribe

i dig my heels in the sand

and watch joyfully as

these magical birds

of myriad shape and size

use the very same beach to imprint

their messages hidden

in ancient glyphs

use the very same ocean

to scavenge and fish

i won’t abide

someone else’s division

for what i should see

as gulls swirl

about the tower

of each arriving boat

won’t ignore

with these monikers

what unites them and us

when we in our manner

pay no heed to our brand

soar through the sky