Molting at Piedras Blancas
Elephant seals bask on the beach,
each casually flipping sand over its
skin as the sun passes across the sky.
They've been at it for three weeks now,
sloughing off old coats to reveal
fresh, brown velvet beneath
while they crowd together like punks
on a street corner. And that's
what these adolescent males are,
belching and preening, banging their chests
to prove a manhood that hasn't yet
arrived, eyeing the solitary bulls
down the strand. Maybe next year
the heavy-set teen in the middle will
take his hanging proboscis out of the
huddle and find a quiet place to molt.
But for now, he's happy showing off
his new coat and tossing sand
in the smaller seal's eyes.
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