blackbird online journal spring 2002 vol.1 no. 1

POETRY

ELLEN BRYANT VOIGT | The Feeder

3.

It struts on the grass, like a crow but smaller,
or, the grackle, whose green head shines,
or starling, aiming its golden eye,

or Red-Winged with its gaudy flags,
but this bird, this bird crosses the grass
white stripe tucked, the orange locked up.

Blackbird, blackbird, fly away.
Take sorrow with you when you go.
Raven, starling, grackle, crow.

Tricolored Blackbird, my favorite, my signature:
nobody knows for sure what it is
till it flies away. 

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