Not just nature, harbinger
Tell-tale squawks, echoing
“V” in the sky, aimed south
Once glimpsed, mesmerizing
Shimmering, pixelated, undulating
One yet many
Leading and following all the same
Shapeshifting yet always “V”, the sign
It’s coming, even with the going of the “V”
Though grounded, haunting calls
Echoing from beyond the treeline
Where wetlands lay beckoning
Brimming with sound
Disembodied, yet “V” upon resurrection
Ascension, choreographed by evolution
Fleeing the cold and futility
Seeking warmth and fertility
Following instinct or fulfilling destiny
The end of a season and the beginning
Responding to now and headed to a future
Victory, or simply a flock of noisy birds
Yes, beyond question
Poem by Russell Willis
Ethicist, pastor, online education entrepreneur, and poet, Russell Willis, has been published in twenty-five online and print journals and fourteen anthologies. Russell grew up in and around Texas, was vocationally scattered throughout the Southwest and Great Plains for many years, and is now settled in Vermont with his wife, Dawn.