PEOPLE LIKE CATTLE

We watch people like cattle
from different pastures and places
walk and jog upon the boardwalk

housing ground squirrels
that beg for popcorn and nuts
from anyone who stops to sit

and stare at the ocean.
On the beach, a seagull
will claim you with his space

as streams of pelicans ride waves
and sandpipers drill moonstones.
Young and old walk polite dogs

on leashes, all in their own
thoughts. It is a dance with
few collisions, all these tourists,

we among them. With no one
to direct us, everyone
seems to get along.