When A Child Sees A Dolphin Poem by Jim Yerman

When a child sees a dolphin…something happens in their brain….
in their heart and in their soul…something you can't explain…

When a child sees a dolphin…sees their beauty…sees their grace
their eyes grow wide, they jump, they point…there's a smile on their face.

We spotted the dolphins before they did…swimming in the bay.
5 dolphins-a dolphin family-who, we noticed, were heading our way.

A mom was the next to spot them…as they elegantly swam into view
She rushed her children to the dock…so they could see them too.

That is where we met up with them…as the sun painted the morning sky
and together we watched the dolphins…this family…Deborah…and I.

Her little boy pointed when he saw one…so awed by the mystique
All he could do was bounce up and down…he was completely unable to speak

A dolphin jumped out of the water…the daughter pointed and said, "That's so cool! "
"Mom says they're eating breakfast before they send their kids off to school".

She smiled as she said this to me…and her eyes were wide open too
I said, "Your mom is one very smart lady…because that's just what dolphins do".

We talked to them a while…about how beautiful all dolphins look…
about what a dolphin school might be like and where do they keep their books…

But mostly we just watched them watch the dolphins…
we heard a lot of oohs and aahs and sighs
and we were glad to witness the wonder we saw in each child's eyes

We left them on the floating dock…a wonderful beginning to our day
knowing they would not be leaving until the last dolphin floated away…

And I thought how wonderful when a child sees a dolphin…
sees their beauty, sees their grace
How they point, they jump with their eyes open wide…
and how there's a smile on their face.

And how wonderful, too, when an adult sees a dolphin
swimming effortlessly in the wild…
Because the moment an adult sees a dolphin…they immediately turn back into a child.