The sea gull

It was only part white; the sea gull
that swooped down on us nearly
brushing us with its wings ' but in my head
I saw this ghost of a bird, shadowless,
a white absence, blind negative

in the light of the lake. No reflection glides
over the water where it flies, weightless,
no sound from its beak.

And though you say they look all the same,
for me it is unique. I see
how it speeds out of the distance
gathers weight, and darkens
till it meets its own blackness, grows

into lustre; mew, gull, seagull
that quickens the heart as it sweeps
towards the sunset, its shape ringed with gold.