Predawn

In shorts and a T-shirt,
I feet the warm breeze,
That brings the sounds and smells
Of the sea. Reefs reduce the power
Of the incoming waves to soft, caresses.
They arrive as friendly guests. They quickly subside
Into the porous welcoming sand,
Or drift back to Gaia.
 
I'd forgotten the predawn enchantmernt.
Verdant hills rising to cloud covered mountains
That today will offer a vista of rainbows,
Touched by the showers that accompany the towering arching colors,
While those of us who will move in the sun
May stand spellbound wishing only to hold the moment.
 
Now, before the sun rises, frigate birds 
Ride the unseen swells of the trades,
On wings that know the dance and waste no effort,
But hold these hunters aloft, indifferent to gravities pull. 
 
Palm and Banyan trees live as neighbors of the ocean,
Finding the salt water air to their liking.
The trees are barely visible, while the mountains
Slowly surrender their hold on a sun that will soon change
The quiet predawn to a pace that thrives in the daytime energy.

Generations of men have followed their fathers to the sea,
Earning sustenance from the ocean's bounty.

Lights, at bow and stern mark a troller's casual progress
To be retraced before nightfall.
Other lights mark barges, some carrying freight
From distant ports, their cargo essential 
To the million people on this island of Oahu.