At sunrise, in a whistling wind, the bay beckons me.
Walking toward the end of the island
I step into the murky water, barefoot,
not sure if I can cast a line and reel in inspiration
or if tidal currents will steal the bait.

From where I stand, I can see Fire Island,
observe ferries cross the Great South Bay
where the lighthouse beacon guides mariners.

From where I stand, I can feel the breeze
of a black lab passing with a passion
to fetch a wet-worn tennis ball.

From where I stand, I can observe two crabs,
missionary style, in seagrass at the shallow end
where imagination floats clearly in my mind.

Where I don’t need to wake to murky headlines.
Where a dark stream freely releases from my pen.
Where ice cream sticks scrawl the end in the sand.

It’s here I will indulge in a fated sea shiver,
close my eyes and steal from the mouth of the bay.

Robert Savino, Suffolk County Poet Laureate 2015-2017, is a native Long Island poet, Board Member at the Walt Whitman Birthplace and winner of the 2008 Oberon Poetry Prize. Robert is co-editor of a 2-volume bilingual collection of New York Italian Americans Poets (No Distance Between Us). His books include fireballs of an illuminated scarecrow and Inside a Turtle Shell.