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126
Anniversary
Life's uneventful, and while we were gone
The season turned; the winter birds are here
And the crowds gone, and the salt atmosphere
Is sharper, with a low hazed-over sun
Laying its wide and glittery roadway on
Gray ocean that looks lonely. Like last year.
-- Over the cliff s two hang-gliders appear,
Slope in and land nearby; I start my run.
Sand smooth, smooth! for a runner or a fl yer
In this gray light and chill air's misty blend
And the sanderlings, lively, lovely, never tire,
And the sun suddenly lights a deep red fi re
Up on the sand, using a beer can end,
And all of it makes up my heart's desire.