Meditation at Point No Point
—for Kirby Benson
Staring into the hollow eyes
of a seal, I realize
I am tired
of war—I surrender.
The seal’s wet skin flashes
in the sun, seagulls
wheel and dive, screaming
the silver news.
Herring boil the surface.
All around us, creatures
live and die with such passion
they seem to create their own light.
Together, they hold the light that holds the world.
Love can pass through you like a wave
and leave you changed,
or drowned.
You can break the rules,
but not the law—the tide will drag you under.
Even steel gets tired.
I’ve been to the bottom, my friend,
and there’s nothing down there.
Tom Snyder: Collected Poems 