BEING GOOD IS WHAT HE WILL BE

No one has told him yet
that a red sky at night or in the morning
can change delight into a warning,

or explained the exact
forces that create the ebb and flow
of waves lapping at the shore,

he sits in awe
without worrying about
ozone holes or all the souls
who’ve been lost at sea,

he hasn’t started collecting losses
or crossing wishes off a list he’s just begun,

he trusts the power of the sun,
the power of the sea,
knowing that man doesn’t rule such wonders,

that a sunset sits without lessons or judgment,

disappearing each day
after striating the dimming sky
with breathless hues,
allowing him to choose a wish to close the day,

he believes this is good,

that we are good,

and that being good is what he will be.

Photo of Kathy Garvey Quinn’s grandson taken in Hawaii by Sean Quinn