With a forecast of nonstop rain for today, our plan was to find ways to be out exploring…and also to not spend our entire day drenched to the skin.  We did pretty well, starting our day with some time in Seaside’s tiny aquarium.  I have mixed feelings about places like aquariums and zoos, but I also know that the opportunity to see and learn about animals helps to build empathy and ultimately, appreciation and a sense of protectiveness for wildlife and nature.

I was drawn to the octopus.  I read The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery a couple of years ago,, an account of the author’s experience with an octopus at an aquarium.  These strong and nimble creatures are purported to be smart, the problem solvers of the sea.  I was lucky enough to be in front of the tank when the octopus began moving this morning.  I was fascinated as I watched its suction-cupped arms navigate the glass pane of the aquarium wall.

Great Pacific Octopus

master of disguise

color changer

hide out finder

squeezing into the tightest space

Armed times eight

thousands of suckers in place

climber, acrobat, magician

practicing sleight of suction

on rocks and clear glass windows

showing agility and strength

only possible from this

shell-less mollusk

Giant Pacific Octopus

Douillard 2018

Here’s a student poem that seems to capture my mood for today:

The Peace of Wild Things

When wonder for the world

grows in me

and I wake in the shining rays of the sun,

I drag myself out of bed and to the water’s edge

where I feel the peace of wild things.

Oliver

And another that is more reflective of a southern CA perspective on rain:

Wait for Wet

I wait for wet.

I wait for the gentle pitter-patter of wet on my green umbrella that waits on a dusty hook in the closet.

I wait for the sound of rubber boots splashing and stomping through wet, sprouting a tail of murky water in wet’s wake.

So much depends on a light sprinkle of wet that tumbles through the clouds and dusts my eager face.

Sadie

For tomorrow, I am waiting for dry…and off from the seashore to explore mountains!  And of course, continue my April poem-a-day adventure.