One week last summer

I stepped outside of my little house and stood barefoot on a rock
The pacific ocean rolled towards me
Across the bay, a family of seals sprawled on the kelp uncovered by the low tide
A blue heron honked overhead
All around the house the wild roses were blooming
The air smelled sweet and salty and loud with crows and bees
My house was clean

I had food in the fridge for a week
I sat outside 'til the sun went down

That night the piano beckoned for the first time in ten years
My fingers found these patterns which express what words could not
This song poured out while a brown bear rummaged through my garbage cans

The song has seven verses constructed for the days of that happy week
On Thursday the bear arrives