Dear Earth,

Here, where Northern California
leans into salt and sky,
your cliffs wear armor made of color—
ice plants burning against fog,
their edges unapologetically alive.

Below, the sea keeps reaching.
Above, the mist keeps softening.

It’s the collision I love most:
vivid against muted,
wild against patient.

Thank you for showing me
that contrast
is its own kind of harmony.

With love,
—Cat Atom