All day long
the pelicans dive,
plunge, plummet,
piercing the clearest water
to capture silver’d prey
who swim in schools of hundreds —
thousands — nearly unseen
but for their black orb’d eyes
and occasional stroke of paint.
The ink-tipped gulls
follow the pelicans’ lead
but they take a different approach,
landing lightly on the lofty hunter’s back —
perhaps for a closer look,
a vantage point of convenience,
scavenging what the diver shakes up.
Some days we are the gull,
in need of the support of a floating friend.
And some days still we have strength enough
to hold others up on our pelican backs.
And yet at other times, I am afraid to say,
we are the little silver fish
caught up in a ruthless world.
—
Shannon Corbeil is a screenwriter, actor, and Air Force veteran. She served as an Intelligence Officer after 9/11, providing support to A-10 pilots in South Korea and analyzing cyber threats at the National Security Agency. Serving in the shadow of war contributed to her fascination with the values and temperaments we uphold in our society. She lives in Los Angeles, CA, where she kisses her sweet dog on the face every single day.
