Offering XVII: Rattling Bones

March 5, 2025

I heard sandhill cranes speaking their

ancient hollow dialect

I saw two great ones

flying in on early morning fog

The earth, still clumpy and frozen

will rumble and thaw

It always does.

and old friends will miss you

They say, Who didn't love him?"

and one fell down moaning,

Do you miss me?

A cardinal crashed into the window

on a recent sunny day

its tail, a flag planted in the snow

remained to point my direction home