Leaping light
Flashing fire
One moment he is gone
But to return
Suspended
Hanging
Then with a splash
Delightful play
He dives
And disappears
And we are left alone
And longing
1982
Jun 18, 2015
Jun 18, 2015 at 4:21 PM UTC
Leaping light
Flashing fire
One moment he is gone
But to return
Suspended
Hanging
Then with a splash
Delightful play
He dives
And disappears
And we are left alone
And longing
1982
I wrote this poem in between phone calls when I was working in an insurance company in Pasadena, California, shortly before I moved to Florida. It remains one of my favorites among my poems.
Obviously, for anyone who has done any boating, the subject is a dolphin; in this case, a Pacific Whitesided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), which was one of the most common - and beautiful - species common to California. The dolphin in question was leaping between our boat and the setting sun.
This poem first appeared in a poetry anthology dedicated to California poets, and though unfortunately I do not recall the name, it appeared around 1983 or 1984.
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