Spirit Bird

Bald Eagles soar beside me now,

Owls drop their pellets on the hill,

Blue Herons pick treats from my ponds,

White swans arrive from Siberian chill.

Starlings swirl above the prairie,

Crows curse me wherever I go,

Quail hop one footprint at a time,

In my tracks on fresh winter snow.

In my youth, along Delta Waterways,

The Red Winged Blackbird’s song was heard;

Perched among the cattails and reeds,

I discovered my spirit bird.

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