(photo credit: personal photo)
I saw with my own eyes
a humpback breach
on cool grey waters. An ice berg floating
in the distance.
I did not need a macro lens shutter burst
to know that I had witnessed
a beautiful spectacle.

I saw with my own eyes
elephant seals jostle and wrestle
like young males flexing their muscles
in a gym.
I did not need to check the angle of the sun
or composition of the image before me
in order to enjoy.

I saw with my own eyes
penguins on a black sand beach.
Fur seals and elephant seals lay in the sun.
I sat on a dirt mound, without a camera lens.
Curious chicks waddled close.
I did not need a view finder
to see herringbone feather patterns
an arm’s length away from me.

I saw with my own eyes
seals leap in the bow waves of our boat.
Somersaults and flips
brought a smile to my face.
I did not need video replay to witness
their fun living in the moment.

I saw with my own eyes.
I heard with my own ears.
I do not need technology to know
life is not meant to be
viewed through a narrow lens.
I want the panorama.