Sea gulls had blown
in from the coast,
circled themselves above us
screaming sounds of laughter,
so full of revelry
& true excitement.

We untangled plastic
in the strong winds
as  ******* birds mocked us,
along with the purple-sheened crows
strutting around the periphery
with some other
unidentified carrion.

Lifting like
an experimental tunnel,
strong currents blew
through the covering
while we slowly
tied down each corner,
basked in the odor of refuse,
laughing at ourselves and
the stupidity of the moment.

When we were finally done,
had completed our task,
finished the mundane project,
we looked at each other
and thought about
the concept
of no free lunches,
wondered why such
beautiful birds would
want to eat garbage,
these smelly leftovers.
It seemed so strange,
not to forage for better meals.

But minutes later,
just down the road,
we spotted the carcasses
of famished-looking
winged-creatures,
it was surreal,
almost mystical.

We stood in silence,
our jaws hung
as we truly understood,
felt like guilty killers
with blood on our hands,
staring at the falling sun.