a large donut lying on its
side in the Blue Pacific, its edge
a broad belt of off-white coral sand
its rim a bright scovola
green, low & lush grassy
abruptly to sand and clumps
of bunch grass, to bunch
grass and a narrow dune,
covered of Iponoea, to
a brackish lagoon.
Against the blue sky,
rock marked with
out of focus white clouds
is dotted with black
Great Frigatebirds and white
Booby Red-tailed Tropic bird
and black & white Red-footed
and Blue-footed Boobies
In the evening the air
is filled with the
scents of Weedy Sea
Shearwaters and
Bonin Island Petrels -
Blue & Common Noddy
Terns are everywhere
but, since its October,
only a few Sooty Terns
can be seen overhead.
Sooty white Terns follow
you about while
Paper Turtles dart from
beneath your feet.
as you walk from the
beach to the lagoon -
in the shade of this
large pond are found
hundreds of Redleg Tarantulas