Today's poem is by J. Allyn Rosser
Pelicans in December
One can't help admiring
their rickety graceand old-world feathers
like seasoned boardwalk planks.They pass in silent pairs,
as if a long time agothey had wearied of calling out.
The wind tips them, theirungainly, light-brown weight,
into a prehistoric wobble,wings'-end fingers stretching
from fingerless gloves,necks slightly tucked and stiff,
peering forward and down,like old couples arm in arm
on icy sidewalks, careful,careful, mildly surprised
by how difficult it has becometo stay dignified and keep moving
even after the yelping gulls have gone;even after the scattered sand,
and the quietly lodged complaints.
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Copyright © 2014 J. Allyn Rosser All rights reserved
from Mimi’s Trapeze
University of Pittsburgh Press
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission
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