Blackbirds utter gloom
speak in murmurations
grey blots out sunlight
blurs definition – pencil
contemplates early nightfall.
(Tanka and sketch by yours truly)
Tag: birds
Laughing Gull
Craving compassion
I seek the wisdom
of the river –
Her glimmering waters
reflect sun’s warmth
I am at once calmed
and uplifted –
seagull raises his wings
emits an ungodly chuckle.
(Image, my own, is not actually a Laughing Gull, but the title fits.)
Brown Creeper
Full sun,
river dons an icy blue,
white banks blind,
light hits water –
bedazzled burst –
I seek an angle.
Banditry of chickadees
noisily arrives
dance their joyous jig –
too slow my lens
Movement on a bare bark
draws my focus,
a brown creeper –
I am lucky this time
delightful noonday capture.
Bald Eagle
Intense, your presence,
fierceness of talons, bulk of
feathered might – humble
my soul’s rejoicing, grateful
to share this brief encounter.
(For Granny Shot It’s Bird of the Day.)
Spotted Sandpiper
A succession of tweets
draws me to riverbed
where tiny legs scurry
across exposed rocks.
Foraging amongst
soggy offerings,
the Spotted Sandpiper
exudes confidence.
It is female who
choses breeding ground,
prepared to defend
her clan, appoints
her mates to mind
the young – she is
polyamorous, hormone
driven – a force.
(For Granny Shot It’s Bird of the Day.)
Vultures Come
Vultures come
sharpen talons and beaks
tear at necrotic flesh
pick this carcass clean
I need a committee
to rid me of parasitic past
trauma’s cadaver
weighing me down.
(Linking up to Granny Shot It’s Bird of the Day. Â A macabre bird and poem to fit the season. Â Image from personal collection)
Mallard
In Mallard’s wake woe –
with clipped wings, I watch and yearn
for Winter sojourn.
(For Granny Shot It’s Bird of the Day, and RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Challenge: wake/wail)
Cormorant
Feathers fanned pronounce
prowess of river raven –
deep diver, swift flight.
(For Granny Shot It’s Bird of the Day. Â Image from personal collection.)
Surprise Visit
The river holds so many surprises
least of which is the sudden appearance
at water’s edge of a tall white egret –
a countenance I acquaint with Texas
and warmer climes – what wonder
to find this greatness at my backdoor.
(The Great Egret is common in coastal areas, but not a bird I have encountered in Ontario, until now. Â Linking up with Granny Shot It’s Bird of the Day.)
Great Blue Heron
Blending in
the gift of stealth
only your voice –
woodsy reed  –
alerts me to your presence.
You are grey sky
and rushing waters
tall reeds and
wind-swept banks
And when my heart
beats off tempo
given to spells
of malaise
you are metronome
reseting my rhythm.
(Friday I join in with Granny Shot It’s Bird of the Day. Photo from personal collection.)
One Woman's Quest 