At Zacatito
We paddled our paltry kayaks
Half a mile offshore
To where the sea-gods were breathing,
Silvery plumes of exhale
Hung shining in late sunlight,
Were we at peril
Gallivanting with a pod of forty-ton humpbacks
In the pelagic wilderness?
Probably not,
But we could not be certain,
And such brinksmanship
Easily translated into high adventure
--Craig Steiger