Today I Left My Phone At Home

Today I left my phone at home
And went down to the sea.
The sand was soft, the ocean glass,
But I was still just me.

Then pelicans in threes and fours,
Glided by like dinosaurs,
An otter basked upon its back,
And dived to find another snack.

The sun corpuscular and bright,
Cast down a piercing shaft,
And conjured an inspiring sight
On glinting, bobbing craft.

Two mermaids rose up from the reef,
Out of the breaking waves.
Their siren song was opium grief,
Their faces from the grave.

The mermaids asked a princely kiss
To free them from their spell.
I said to try a poet's bliss.
They shrugged and bid farewell.


The sun grew dark and sinister,
In unscheduled eclipse.
As two eight-headed aliens
Descended in their ships.

They said the World was nice enough
But didn't like our star.
And asked the way to Betelgeuse,
If it wouldn't be too far.

Two whales breached far out to sea,
And flew up to the sky,
The crowd was busy frolicking,
And didn't ask me why.

Today I left my phone at home,
On the worst day, you'll agree.
If only I had pictures,
If only you could see.

Not everything was really there,
I'm happy to confess,
But I still have the memories,
Worth more than tweets and stress.

Today I left my phone at home,
I had no shakes or sorrow.
If that is what my mind can do,
It stays at home tomorrow.

© 2017 Gavin Miller. All rights reserved.