Summer Jobs

I wake up to an often-ugly world,
but I am frequently reminded
there is an opposite if I pay attention
to the many creatures and their summer toil

Egrets, with punk-rock crowns,
blazing white atop their heads
Seeking low tide meals along the inlet
Moving with grace, smooth like glass

And butterflies with delicate amber wings,
determined to alight on welcoming flowers
as they go about instinctive labors
in their world without intolerance