Curious hummingbird,

Cousin of the dragonfly,

Zipping, hovering, looking.

 

An eaglet, impatient in its high nest,

Stretching flightless wings,

Squawking, wee, wee, wee.

 

In the water, a head like a crooked stick,

Breaking the surface,

A great turtle manifested from murk.

 

Then bobbing buoyant,

Pleasant as a pup,

The neighborly otter floating nearby.

 

At twilight, the sound of snorting,

From the shadowed woods,

A deer pawing the duff.

 

Then after dark,

Crazy barking, shrill and maniacal,

Frenzied coyotes.

 

With loon calls across the lake,

Echoing in the darkness,

Two notes, a low one and one higher, mournful.

 

And above,

Deep darkness spattered with electric radiance,

Bright lamps and faint blurs,

And the broad paint stroke of the milky way,

Even the sky is alive, lit with a trillion stars.

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